A worker produces metal bars for overseas clients in a factory in Zijiao township, Binzhou, East China’s Shandong Province, on April 15, 2025. China’s foreign trade in goods in the first quarter of 2025 grew by 1.3 percent year-on-year, reaching 10.3 trillion yuan ($1.41 trillion). Photo: VCG
China rolled out a work plan for stabilizing growth in the nonferrous metals industry (2025-26) on Sunday, vowing to strengthen resource exploration and utilization.
Eight major government departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Commerce, jointly launched the plan, with multiple aims including boosting the efficient use of resources, strengthening tech innovation and effective supply capabilities, according to the official website of the MIIT.
One highlight of the plan is the implementation of a new round of strategic actions to achieve breakthroughs in mineral prospecting, strengthening the survey and exploration of resources such as copper, aluminum, lithium, nickel, cobalt and tin, and releasing mining rights in a scientific and orderly manner, said the MIIT.
Moreover, the plan pledges to support research and development of green and efficient technologies and equipment for the extraction and smelting of low-grade, associated and refractory resources. It will also promote the enhancement of the comprehensive utilization of scrap nonferrous metals such as copper and aluminum, as well as the recycling of emerging solid wastes including used power batteries and discarded photovoltaic modules.
The work plan outlines specific goals to be achieved over the two-year period, including an average annual growth rate of about 5 percent in the value added of the national nonferrous metals industry, an average annual growth rate of about 1.5 percent in the output of 10 major nonferrous metals, and a breakthrough in recycled metal production exceeding 20 million tons.
The work plan also seeks to drive breakthroughs in ultra-high-purity metals and other high-quality raw materials.
This includes supporting the construction of pilot platforms for new nonferrous metal materials and low-carbon smelting processes, leveraging the role of key new-material platforms, and accelerating the verification, application and iterative upgrading of materials.
This work plan is part of the industry’s expansion of the implementation of the country’s high-quality development, Wu Chenhui, an independent analyst who closely follows the critical minerals industry, told the Global Times on Sunday.
The new round of mineral prospecting breakthroughs and the orderly release of mining rights indicate that China is further strengthening the independent control of key resources and reducing reliance on foreign sources, Wu said.
The work plan also pledges to deepen opening-up and international cooperation, including guiding the compliant export of high-end new materials and value-added processed products, and supporting the import of eligible recycled resources.
International cooperation in related fields will be enhanced, including steadily advancing overseas nonferrous metal projects and encouraging foreign high-end processing companies to invest in factories in China.
By strengthening exploration of key minerals, advancing green ore-processing technologies, promoting circular resource utilization, and expanding international cooperation, the plan underscores China’s latest efforts to ensure the security of energy and strategic material supply chains, support the development of new-energy and high-end manufacturing industries, and drive industrial upgrading and sustainable development, Wu said.
Global Times