China Releases Mineral Resources Report 2026 and Global Mining Development Report 2026

On September 11, 2026, at the 2026 China International Mining Conference held in Tianjin, the Ministry of Natural Resources released the China Mineral Resources Report (2026) and the Global Mining Development Report 2026. The reports show that by the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China ranked first in the world in reserves of 14 minerals, including rare earths, tungsten and tin. As the global energy transition accelerates and the supply-demand landscape for mineral resources undergoes deep adjustment, global mining is entering a period of overlapping transformations. Mineral resources are an important material foundation for economic and social development, and the exploration and development of mineral resources bear on national livelihood and national security.

The China Mineral Resources Report (2026) shows that in 2025 China's geological exploration investment grew for a fifth consecutive year, and mineral prospecting continued to make important progress. A total of 200 new non-oil and gas mineral occurrences were discovered nationwide, including 63 large, 57 medium-sized and 80 small deposits. The minerals with the highest number of new discoveries were gold with 16, iron ore with 11, coal with 9, manganese with 8 and lithium with 8.

In 2025, fixed-asset investment in China's mining industry achieved positive growth for a fifth consecutive year, production and supply of major mineral products remained stable, and the mineral resources industrial and supply chains became more secure. Coal output was 4.85 billion tonnes, up 1.4% from 2025. Crude oil output was 216 million tonnes, maintaining positive growth for seven consecutive years. Natural gas output was 262.06 billion cubic metres, maintaining annual increases of 10 billion cubic metres for nine consecutive years.

The Global Mining Development Report 2026 shows that since China launched a new round of the strategic action for mineral exploration breakthroughs, exploration of strategic emerging minerals has achieved leapfrog development and the capacity for independent resource supply has been significantly enhanced. China's new round of the strategic action for mineral exploration breakthroughs has produced notable results, with mineral resource reserves increasing substantially, three-dimensional expansion achieved in oil and gas exploration, and deep and deep-sea areas becoming new growth poles. The scale of mineral product production and smelting and processing ranks first globally, and the leading position of the industrial chain continues to be consolidated, with output of more than 30 metallurgical products ranking first in the world and output of 17 mineral products accounting for about 50% of total global mineral product output.