Country The 14th Five-Year Plan and the Visionary Goals for 2035 propose: Focusing on seizing the initiative in the development of future industries, fostering leading and pillar industries, and promoting the integrated, clustered, and ecological development of strategic emerging industries. First, we will focus on nine major strategic emerging industries—next-generation information technology, biotechnology, new energy, new materials, high-end equipment, new-energy vehicles, green and environmental protection, as well as aerospace and marine equipment—to cultivate new pillar industries. Second, in cutting-edge technological and industrial transformation areas such as brain-inspired intelligence, quantum information, gene technology, future networks, deep-sea and aerospace exploration, and hydrogen energy and energy storage, we will organize and implement future industry incubation and acceleration programs, and strategically plan and deploy a batch of future industries.

　　The cultivation and rapid development of strategic emerging industries will have a significant impact on the demand for related metal mineral products. In line with the national plan for the development of strategic emerging industries, we will systematically examine this issue from the following ten aspects:

1. Next-generation information technology

　　Next-generation information technology encompasses next-generation information network industries, IT services, core electronic industries, cybersecurity products and services, and artificial intelligence, among others. Among these, specific sub-sectors such as network equipment and integrated circuits are accelerating their development, driving rapid growth in demand for related rare-metal minerals.

　　Network Equipment: With the large-scale commercial deployment of 5G in China, demand for 5G optical fiber is expected to be 2 to 3 times that of 4G, and demand for germanium tetrachloride used in optical fiber is likely to surge. The extensive use of RF components will also drive up demand for gallium arsenide.

　　Integrated circuits: In the 5G era, demand for communication PCBs has surged, significantly boosting the demand for copper foil. Semiconductors and integrated circuits are at the heart of the information age. The first-generation semiconductor materials were primarily elemental semiconductors such as silicon and germanium; the second-generation semiconductor materials consisted mainly of binary or ternary compound semiconductors, including gallium arsenide and indium antimonide. The third-generation semiconductor materials include, among others, silicon carbide, gallium nitride, zinc oxide, diamond, and aluminum nitride. Moreover, integrated circuits generally contain copper, tin, nickel, zinc, aluminum, chromium, and lead, and also include certain precious metals from the silver and platinum groups. Tantalum capacitors used in integrated circuits primarily involve tantalum metal.

　　Quantum Computing: Rubidium and cesium could potentially become the primary storage materials for quantum computing.

2. Biotechnology

　　The bio-industry encompasses the following sectors: biopharmaceutical industry, biomedical engineering industry, bioagricultural industry, bio-manufacturing industry, and biomass energy industry. Among the metallic materials used as biomaterials, the main ones include stainless steel, titanium and titanium alloys, cobalt-based alloys, nickel-titanium shape-memory alloys, and precious metals.

3. New energy

　　The new energy industry encompasses nuclear power, wind energy, solar energy, smart grids, and other new energy sectors. The shift in the energy mix—particularly the rapid development of wind and solar energy—will drive a sharp increase in demand for related metal minerals.

　　Nuclear Energy: Nuclear fuel metals include uranium, thorium, plutonium, and deuterium. The key materials commonly used in nuclear power generation mainly comprise carbon (manganese) steel, low-alloy steel, stainless steel, zirconium alloys, titanium-aluminum alloys, and nickel-based alloys. The key metallic elements involved include beryllium, lithium, and zirconium.

　　Wind Energy: Key metals for wind power include aluminum, copper, molybdenum, nickel, and zinc. Among these, the metal resources experiencing the fastest growth in demand within wind turbines are rare-earth elements dysprosium and terbium, rare-earth elements praseodymium and neodymium, zinc, molybdenum, nickel, copper, and chromium.

　　Solar Energy: Photovoltaic cells and modules include crystalline silicon, flexible gallium arsenide, silicon-based thin films, cadmium telluride, copper indium gallium selenide, perovskites, and more. Key metals for photovoltaics include copper, aluminum, silver, silicon, and steel; among these, the metals showing the fastest growth rates are indium, gallium, silver, silicon, copper, and aluminum.

4. New materials

　　The new materials industry is a foundational and leading sector that underpins other strategic emerging industries. New materials corresponding to various major strategic emerging industries will not be discussed again here. In addition, this also involves cutting-edge new materials such as graphene, 3D-printing materials, and superconducting materials. While these fields are unlikely to see a substantial increase in short-term demand, they hold great potential for future development—but also come with considerable uncertainty.

　　Graphene is considered a revolutionary material of the future, with enormous application potential in fields such as energy, biomedicine, and materials science. Its primary raw material is graphite; however, no market has yet been identified that can support large-scale production and commercialization.

3D printing has the potential for large-scale development in the future, but the mainstream view is that 3D printing will continue to serve as a complement to traditional manufacturing processes. Metal 3D printing is primarily used in fields such as aerospace equipment manufacturing, personalized medical devices, and mold making. The metal powder materials involved mainly include pure titanium and titanium alloys, aluminum alloys, nickel-based alloys, cobalt-chromium alloys, and copper-based alloys.

　　Superconducting materials hold great potential for future applications in fields such as magnets, power cables, and high-tech industries. However, large-scale adoption still depends on continued technological advancements. This field involves as many as 28 different metallic elements, with the most promising ones including niobium, lead, lithium, tantalum, zinc, and aluminum.

5. New energy vehicles

　　The replacement of traditional internal-combustion-engine vehicles by new-energy vehicles is driving the most significant technological and industrial transformation globally, and is boosting demand for related metals by as much as dozens of times.

　　The core components of new-energy vehicles are power batteries, electric motors, and electronic control systems. Among these, power batteries primarily consist of ternary lithium batteries and lithium iron phosphate batteries. The key raw materials involved in their positive and negative electrode materials include lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite—these materials stand to benefit most significantly. At the same time, consumption of manganese, aluminum, copper, and fluorite has also been notably boosted.

　　The motors primarily use permanent magnet synchronous motors, and the core metallic materials involved in neodymium-iron-boron magnets include rare earth elements and others.

　　Meanwhile, new-energy vehicles are rapidly advancing toward intelligentization, which will drive the large-scale adoption of sensors and chips, primarily involving materials such as gallium, indium, germanium, and silicon.

6. Hydrogen Energy and Energy Storage

　　Hydrogen energy and energy storage hold tremendous application potential in the future, but the market still needs to be nurtured at present. Among these, demand for energy storage is experiencing rapid growth driven by the rapid development of new energy sources, while the hydrogen energy market still requires gradual cultivation.

　　Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles hold great potential for future applications in long-distance passenger and freight transportation as well as specialized vehicles. However, at present, market promotion faces significant challenges due to cost constraints. The core metal species involved include platinum-group elements (such as platinum, palladium, and ruthenium). In hydrogen storage, metal hydride storage is an important and viable option, with a hydrogen storage capacity per unit volume that can match or even exceed that of liquid hydrogen. The key metallic materials involved include titanium alloys, magnesium alloys, and rare-earth materials.

　　In the energy storage sector, lithium iron phosphate batteries—characterized by their low cost—are the most advantageous. Their large-scale adoption will primarily boost lithium consumption, while also benefiting other materials such as phosphorus and manganese.

　　Sodium-ion batteries have significant application potential in energy storage and low-end power applications. Their mainstream cathode material is Prussian white, and the trend is toward high-manganese Prussian white, which will boost demand for manganese. The anode primarily uses hard carbon.

　　Vanadium redox flow batteries are also a viable alternative technology for industrial energy storage. If widely adopted on a large scale, they will significantly boost vanadium consumption.

7. Green and environmentally friendly

　　The green and environmental protection sector involves relatively low demand for metals; the two most prominent areas are LED energy-saving lamps and automotive exhaust purifiers.

High-efficiency lighting products, such as LED energy-saving lamps, represent a major trend in the development of lighting fixtures. The key materials for these products are compound semiconductor microstructure materials—commonly referred to as "MO sources"—which involve major metals such as gallium and indium.

　　Global automotive emission standards are continually being tightened, which is beneficial for the application of exhaust gas purification catalysts. The core metal varieties involved are platinum and palladium. However, the large-scale adoption of zero-emission, all-electric vehicles in the future will likely exert some downward pressure on their market applications.

8. High-end equipment

　　Smart manufacturing equipment will employ a large number of sensors that are sensitive to force, temperature, light, magnetism, and radiation. Among these, semiconductor sensors are the most common, involving primarily rare metals such as indium, germanium, and gallium. Consequently, these materials will significantly benefit from the widespread adoption of smart manufacturing. The market for machined cemented carbides is experiencing relatively stable growth overall; the primary metal involved is tungsten, followed by cobalt and molybdenum.

　　Rail transit equipment primarily involves special steels for tracks and bearings, as well as materials related to permanent-magnet motors. Against the backdrop of accelerating global high-speed rail construction in the future, demand for related resources is expected to increase significantly. Key metal varieties involved include chromium, nickel, molybdenum, and rare earth elements.

9. Aerospace

　　In the aviation sector, aircraft manufacturing is a rapidly growing emerging industry in China. Among the materials used in aircraft construction, aluminum alloys account for 50% to 70% (including aluminum-lithium alloys), while magnesium alloys make up about 5% to 10%. Meanwhile, the proportion of titanium alloys is steadily increasing, particularly in supersonic jet engines that require high-temperature resistance. In the field of aircraft engines, high-temperature-resistant alloys such as rhenium, nickel, tungsten, and molybdenum are predominantly employed. Additionally, high-strength steels containing various rare elements are also widely used. Overall, as China's aircraft manufacturing industry continues to develop, aluminum, magnesium, and titanium stand out as the most significant beneficiaries, followed by nickel, tungsten, molybdenum, niobium, lithium, and rare earth elements.

　　China’s aerospace industry continues to thrive and flourish. Titanium alloys, which boast superior resistance to high temperatures and radiation, have become the primary materials for manufacturing structural components and containers used in rockets, missiles, and spacecraft. Consequently, demand for metallic beryllium and beryllium-aluminum alloys—materials required for high-precision parts and structural components—is also on the rise. As for structural materials related to satellites, titanium, rhenium, tungsten, and molybdenum are among the key materials involved. Ion propulsion engines used in spacecraft primarily employ cesium and rubidium.

10. Marine Equipment

　　Building a strong maritime nation is an important component of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Marine equipment, in turn, serves as a crucial cornerstone of the strategy for building a strong maritime nation.

　　As for marine equipment, titanium is lightweight, high-strength, and corrosion-resistant, particularly immune to the corrosive effects of saltwater, seawater, and the marine atmospheric environment. It is a premium lightweight structural material often referred to as “the metal of the sea.”

　　In addition, large warships—especially aircraft carriers—have a huge demand for alloy steels with excellent impact resistance. Among these materials, the high-density tungsten content represents one of the most critical and challenging technological hurdles to overcome; the tungsten content in the alloy steel plates used for aircraft carrier decks exceeds 30%.

　　Based on the above analysis, the major impacts of strategic emerging industries on demand for relevant metals can be broadly categorized into four aspects:

　　First, the incremental market space in the fields of power batteries for new-energy vehicles and energy-storage batteries is enormous, which is expected to lead to a sharp increase in demand for lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, manganese, rare earths, and phosphorus. At the same time, it will also boost growth in the demand for aluminum, copper, fluorite, and other commodities, and may even stimulate consumption of vanadium. Looking ahead, as the hydrogen energy industry continues to develop, it is likely to drive up demand for platinum-group elements (such as platinum and palladium), titanium, magnesium, and rare earths.

　　Second, as the share of new energy sources in the overall energy mix continues to rise, demand for zirconium and beryllium used in nuclear energy, silicon, gallium, indium, tellurium, and silver used in solar energy, and rare earth elements and molybdenum used in wind energy is expected to grow rapidly.

　　Third, the high-end development in the chip and semiconductor sectors is driving a substantial increase in demand for rare metals such as gallium, indium, germanium, tin, silicon, and tantalum. Moreover, cutting-edge scientific fields like quantum computing and ion-propulsion engines are expected to significantly boost demand for rubidium and cesium.

　　Fourth, the aerospace, marine equipment, medical devices, and other high-end equipment sectors are placing higher demands on structural materials, thereby boosting demand for metals and alloy materials such as titanium, rhenium, beryllium, aluminum, magnesium, tungsten, molybdenum, and niobium.

　　(Author: Chen Junquan, Song Xinxin, Lou YinXiao; Affiliation: China Minmetals Research Institute)