Among the 163 mineral species for which China has already confirmed reserves, nearly 40% have seen increases in their reserves. The remaining technically recoverable reserves of oil and gas minerals have all grown to varying degrees. Non-oil and gas minerals—such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and aluminum—have also shown significant increases... At the regular press conference held on June 14, Bo Zhiping, Director of the Department of Mineral Resource Protection and Supervision at the Ministry of Natural Resources, provided detailed insights into the nationwide statistics on mineral resource reserves for 2022.
　　As the strategic initiative to achieve breakthroughs in mineral exploration continues to advance, China’s reserves of mineral resources have significantly increased. According to the 2022 national statistics on mineral resource reserves, among the 163 mineral species for which reserves have been identified in China, nearly 40% have seen increases in their reserves. Specifically, in terms of oil and gas resources, crude oil reserves rose by 3.2% year-on-year, natural gas reserves increased by 3.6%, and shale gas reserves grew by 3.0%; coalbed methane reserves remained roughly unchanged compared to 2021. In the non-oil and gas sector, reserves of strategic emerging minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel increased by 57%, 14.5%, and 3% respectively, year-on-year. Reserves of bulk minerals like copper, lead, and zinc rose by 16.7%, 7.1%, and 4.2% respectively, year-on-year. Reserves of rare metals such as beryllium, germanium, and gallium increased by 11.7%, 7.9%, and 16.5% respectively, year-on-year. Gold reserves rose by 5.5% year-on-year. Among non-metallic minerals, ordinary fluorite and crystalline graphite saw year-on-year increases of 27.8% and 3.5%, respectively.
　　It is worth noting that in 2022, three oil and gas fields added new petroleum reserves reaching large-scale levels: the Fuman Oilfield in the Tarim Basin, the Bayan Oilfield in the Hetao Basin, and the Bohai Zhong-26-6 Oilfield in the Bohai Bay area. Additionally, six oil and gas fields added new natural gas reserves reaching large-scale levels: the Tianfu Gasfield and the Penglai Gasfield in the Sichuan Basin, the Sulige Gasfield and the Qingshimao Gasfield in the Ordos Basin, the Shunbei Oilfield in the Tarim Basin, and the Baodao 21-1 Gasfield in the Qiongdongnan Basin.
　　In recent years, China has devoted greater efforts to a new round of strategic initiatives aimed at achieving breakthroughs in mineral exploration and has achieved remarkable results. On May 17, the gold exploration project in Xiling Village, Laizhou City, passed the reserve expert review organized by the Shandong Provincial Department of Natural Resources. The preliminary assessment indicates that the newly discovered gold reserves at the Xiling gold mine amount to nearly 200 tons, bringing the cumulative gold reserves to 580 tons. This means that the Xiling gold mine is a world-class, giant single gold deposit—the largest single gold deposit ever discovered in China to date—with a potential economic value as high as 200 billion yuan.
　　Wang Guanghua, Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources, has pointed out that China’s new round of strategic action for breakthroughs in mineral exploration will focus on critical and strategic minerals that are in short supply. The effort will prioritize key oil- and gas-bearing basins and major metallogenic belts. Based on the degree of geological investigation, four types of areas—basic survey areas, key survey areas, key exploration areas, and deep parts of important mines—will be identified, and targeted strategies will be implemented accordingly to carry out exploration and mineral discovery.