In 2026, China's mineral resources industry is undergoing a pivotal transformation period marked by multiple intertwined shifts. The deep integration of legal standardization, resource security safeguards, green and low-carbon transition, and digital innovation is progressively reshaping the industry landscape. With the implementation of the newly revised Mineral Resources Law of the People's Republic of China, the industry's development boundaries have become clearer. The traditional model reliant solely on resource endowments or scale expansion is no longer sustainable. Compliance-driven operations, technological innovation, and industrial chain collaboration have become the core pillars for enterprises to break through challenges. Combining policy directions, market dynamics, and industry practices, the following sections will provide a detailed analysis of the core development trends in China's mineral resources industry for 2026.
I. Asset Attributes of Mining Rights Gain Prominence; Legalized Operational Framework Continues to Improve
In 2026, the legalization and standardization of mining rights management will continue to advance. The local practice of “separation of rights and certificates” will be progressively promoted, serving as a key breakthrough to unlock the value of mining rights assets. Previously, the Wentao Geothermal Project in Pingshan County, Shijiazhuang City, pioneered a pilot initiative where natural resources authorities issued separate real estate ownership certificates and mining permits. The former clearly defines the property rights attributes and scope of mining rights, while the latter standardizes the administrative licensing process for resource development. This effectively clarifies the boundaries between rights confirmation and administrative oversight, reducing the investment uncertainty long caused by ambiguous ownership.
Supported by the unified real estate registration system, the property rights nature of mining rights is now fully disclosed. This provides a solid legal foundation for capital operations such as valuation, financing, collateralization, and transfer, driving the transformation of mining rights from “administrative management objects” to “core production factors.” It facilitates industry consolidation and the optimal allocation of resources. However, it should be noted that implementation rules at the local level are not yet fully unified. Enterprises still face short-term challenges in policy coordination during mining rights registration, transfer, and mortgage processes. Compliance management and risk prevention have become critical prerequisites for corporate operations.
II. Resource Security Elevated to National Strategic Priority, Reserve and Supply Systems Refined
The newly revised Mineral Resources Law of the People's Republic of China introduces dedicated chapters on mineral reserves and emergency preparedness, legally mandating strategic mineral reserves. This marks China's entry into a phase of refined resource security management. As a vital resource succession zone, Southwest China has yielded substantial exploration successes in recent years. Major deposits such as the Songpan gold mine, Leibo phosphate mine, and Qingchuan manganese mine in Sichuan, alongside the Honghe rare earth mine and Yangchang phosphate mine in Yunnan, have been successively identified. These discoveries have significantly boosted reserves of core mineral resources and optimized the national spatial distribution of resources.
Departing from previous large-scale development models, China will establish an integrated “exploration-production-supply-storage-sales” coordination system by 2026. Resource development pacing will be categorized and managed according to national strategic needs: High-grade, easily exploitable deposits will be partially designated as mineral reserves, serving as strategic backups for deferred development. Some operational mines will adopt a coal-industry-style capacity reserve model, flexibly balancing supply security and market regulation needs. Concurrently, mineral product stockpiling will enable rapid responses to market fluctuations. Coal mines in Qinghai and Xinjiang, along with Sichuan's multi-tiered reserve system, have pioneered these initiatives. However, refining the reserve system faces challenges including extended payback periods for corporate upfront investments, significant funding pressures for deep and marine exploration, and regional barriers to cross-border resource allocation.
III. Green Mining Becomes Survival Threshold as Ecological Transformation Drives Industry Upgrade
By 2026, green mining development will transition from “conceptual advocacy” to “legal obligation,” progressively becoming a core threshold for mining enterprises' survival and development. The Ministry of Natural Resources has explicitly mandated that by the end of 2028, 90% of large-scale mines and 80% of medium-sized mines nationwide must meet green mine standards. As 2026 marks a critical phase for achieving these goals, policy enforcement for green exploration and ecological restoration continues to intensify. Multi-departmental policies on green mine construction are progressively implemented, with provinces releasing detailed local implementation plans to refine advancement pathways. By early 2025, over 4,700 national and provincial-level green mines had been established nationwide, creating a scalable demonstration effect.
In practice, numerous ecological transformation models have emerged across regions:
- The abandoned mine restoration project in the Ya'an Giant Panda National Park area of Sichuan transformed industrial and mining wastelands into ecological green spaces, enhancing habitats for endangered species; Guizhou has established 347 provincial-level or higher green mines, forming a clustered development pattern. The restoration of abandoned mines along the North and South Panjiang Rivers employed modified glutinous rice-based vegetation layer technology, effectively addressing the challenge of soil stabilization on steep slopes and fortifying the ecological security barrier of the watershed. However, the green transition still faces cost pressures. Initial investments for medium-sized green mines exceed those of traditional mines by 30%-50%. Small and medium-sized mining enterprises lack sufficient environmental investment capacity. Compounding these challenges are inconsistent local evaluation standards and issues related to historical ecological debt recovery, further intensifying the difficulties.
IV. Intelligent Empowerment Drives Productivity Leaps, Accelerating Full-Process Digital Transformation
Intelligent technology has become the core driver of the mining industry's third technological revolution. By 2026, the sector will transition from isolated intelligent applications to full-process collaborative upgrades, with policy and technology jointly propelling transformation implementation. In 2025, the Ministry of Natural Resources released the first batch of equipment upgrade and replacement lists for mineral exploration, while the National Mine Safety Administration solicited opinions on a key R&D catalog for intelligent mining robots, covering 80 types of smart equipment and charting a clear path for industry technological advancement. The “AI+Manufacturing” special initiative launched by eight ministries including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology further accelerates the deep integration of technologies like large models and digital twins with mining operations.
At the enterprise level, intelligent applications have achieved scaled deployment: Inner Mongolia's Yimin Open-Pit Mine deployed 100 commercial-grade autonomous electric trucks operating in convoy, while 5G-Advanced network deployment resolved latency challenges in underground remote control, significantly boosting production efficiency and operational safety. Sichuan promotes government-enterprise collaboration by jointly releasing a blueprint for smart mine construction. Neijiang City achieves comprehensive coverage of intelligent systems through its “Five-Service Approach,” while Chongqing establishes an AI Geology and Mining Research Institute to deepen AI applications in geological prospecting and disaster early warning. Concurrently, intelligent technologies are reshaping exploration models, with widespread adoption of drone surveying and multipolar ground electromagnetic sounding enhancing both precision and efficiency in mineral discovery. However, during this transformation, key bottlenecks persist: rapid technological iteration risks equipment depreciation, sensitive mining data security protection remains challenging, and shortages of multi-skilled professionals continue to constrain the industry's intelligent upgrade.
V. Key Mineral Supply Chain Restructuring Accelerates with Domestic-International Coordination
Driven by shifting international dynamics and global supply chain restructuring, achieving self-reliance in critical minerals has become a national strategic priority. By 2026, China will accelerate the establishment of a dual-circulation supply chain system combining domestic security with overseas deployment. Domestically, the new round of strategic mineral exploration breakthroughs continues to advance with increased funding. Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, cumulative investment in mineral exploration has reached nearly 450 billion yuan, with social capital accounting for 92% of the total. In 2024, geological exploration investment reached 115.994 billion yuan, marking four consecutive years of positive growth. Funds are prioritized for scarce strategic minerals including gold, copper, lithium, rare earths, zirconium, and hafnium. Breakthroughs in exploration at sites like Hainan's zirconium-hafnium deposits and northwest Hubei's niobium mines have effectively reduced reliance on foreign sources.
Overseas, enterprises accelerated the layout of high-quality resources, focusing on countries along the Belt and Road and resource-rich regions. They acquired core mineral resources through mergers and acquisitions, cooperative development, and other means, while simultaneously promoting the coordinated extension of the industrial chain upstream and downstream. Hainan is currently establishing a national research and development base for zirconium and hafnium resource security and utilization, driving the transformation of resource advantages into industrial strengths. Furthermore, the industry's service scope continues to expand, extending from traditional resource exploration to public welfare services like geological disaster prevention and urban geological safety. In 2024, investments in hydrogeology, environmental geology, and geological disaster surveys and assessments accounted for 17.9% of total spending, emerging as a new growth driver for the sector.
VI. Industry Development Summary and Outlook
By 2026, China's mineral resources sector is undergoing profound structural transformation, with legal compliance, green development, intelligent operations, and safety becoming core development priorities. Policy-level regulatory guidance, technological innovation breakthroughs, and market-level competitive realignment will drive the industry's transition toward high-quality development. Leading enterprises, leveraging their financial, technological, and compliance advantages, are poised to further increase industry concentration. Small and medium-sized mining companies will need to pursue specialized, refined development or collaborative partnerships to break through.
Looking ahead, the deepening implementation of the new round of strategic initiatives for mineral exploration breakthroughs, the continuous penetration of intelligent technologies, and the tangible results of green transformation will steadily enhance the resource security capabilities and industrial competitiveness of China's mineral resources sector. This will facilitate a gradual shift from “resource dependency” to “innovation-driven development” and from “scale expansion” to “quality enhancement,” providing robust support for strategic industries such as new energy, new materials, and aerospace. Simultaneously, the industry must address multiple challenges including transformation costs, talent shortages, and international resource competition. Through policy coordination, technological innovation, and ecosystem collaboration, it will overcome development hurdles to build a secure, efficient, green, and sustainable industrial system.
Intelligentization has emerged as the core driver of the mining industry's third technological revolution. By 2026, the sector will evolve from isolated intelligent applications to comprehensive, collaborative process upgrades, with policy and technology jointly propelling this transformation. In 2025, the Ministry of Natural Resources released the first list of upgraded exploration equipment replacements, while the National Mine Safety Administration solicited opinions on a key R&D catalog for intelligent mining robots, covering 80 types of smart equipment and charting a clear path for technological advancement. The “AI+Manufacturing” initiative launched by eight ministries, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, further accelerates the deep integration of technologies like large models and digital twins with the mining sector.
At the enterprise implementation level, intelligent applications have gradually scaled up: At the Yimin open-pit mine in Inner Mongolia, a fleet of 100 driverless electric trucks has achieved commercial operation. The deployment of 5G-Advanced networks has addressed latency challenges in remote control for underground mines, significantly boosting production efficiency and operational safety. Sichuan promotes government-enterprise collaboration by jointly releasing a blueprint for smart mine construction. Neijiang City drives comprehensive intelligent system coverage through its “Five-Service Approach,” while Chongqing establishes an AI Geology and Mining Research Institute to deepen AI applications in geological prospecting and disaster early warning. Simultaneously, intelligent technologies are reshaping exploration models, with widespread adoption of drone surveying and multipolar magnetotelluric sounding techniques, achieving dual improvements in prospecting accuracy and efficiency. However, during this transformation, key bottlenecks persist: rapid technological iteration risks equipment depreciation, sensitive mining data security protection remains challenging, and shortages of multi-skilled professionals continue to constrain the industry's intelligent upgrade.
V. Key Mineral Supply Chain Restructuring Accelerates with Domestic-International Coordination
Driven by shifting international dynamics and global supply chain restructuring, achieving self-reliance in critical minerals has become a national strategic priority. By 2026, China will accelerate the establishment of a dual-circulation supply chain system combining domestic security with overseas deployment. Domestically, the new round of strategic mineral exploration breakthrough initiatives continues to advance with increased funding. Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, cumulative investment in mineral exploration has reached nearly 450 billion yuan, with social capital accounting for 92% of the total. In 2024, geological exploration investment reached 115.994 billion yuan, marking four consecutive years of positive growth. Funds are prioritized for scarce strategic minerals including gold, copper, lithium, rare earths, zirconium, and hafnium. Breakthroughs in exploration at sites like Hainan's zirconium-hafnium deposits and northwest Hubei's niobium mines have effectively reduced reliance on foreign sources.
Overseas, enterprises accelerated the layout of high-quality resources, focusing on countries along the Belt and Road and resource-rich regions. They acquired core mineral resources through mergers and acquisitions, cooperative development, and other means, while simultaneously promoting the coordinated extension of the industrial chain upstream and downstream. Hainan is currently establishing a national research and development base for zirconium and hafnium resource security and utilization, driving the transformation of resource advantages into industrial strengths. Furthermore, the industry's service scope continues to expand, extending from traditional resource exploration to public welfare services like geological disaster prevention and urban geological safety. In 2024, investments in hydrogeology, environmental geology, and geological disaster investigation and assessment accounted for 17.9% of total spending, emerging as a new growth driver for the sector.
VI. Industry Development Summary and Outlook
By 2026, China's mineral resources sector is undergoing profound structural transformation, with legal compliance, green development, intelligent operations, and safety becoming core development priorities. Policy-level regulatory guidance, technological innovation breakthroughs, and market-level competitive realignment will drive the industry's transition toward high-quality development. Leading enterprises, leveraging their financial, technological, and compliance advantages, are poised to further increase industry concentration. Small and medium-sized mining companies, meanwhile, must pursue specialized, refined development or collaborative partnerships to break through.
Looking ahead, the deepening implementation of the new round of strategic initiatives for mineral exploration breakthroughs, the continuous penetration of intelligent technologies, and the tangible results of green transformation will steadily enhance China's mineral resource sector's capacity for resource security and industrial competitiveness. This will facilitate a gradual shift from “resource dependency” to “innovation-driven growth” and from “scale expansion” to “quality enhancement,” providing robust support for strategic industries such as new energy, new materials, and aerospace. Simultaneously, the industry must address multiple challenges including transformation cost pressures, talent shortages, and international resource competition. By leveraging policy coordination, technological innovation, and ecosystem collaboration, it can overcome development hurdles and establish a secure, efficient, green, and sustainable industrial development framework.
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