According to statistics from the Ministry of Natural Resources, China’s lithium reserves increased by 57% year-on-year in 2022. This is good news for ensuring the security of China’s lithium resource supply, supporting its green and low-carbon transition, and boosting the development of new-energy vehicles.
　　On the 14th, the Ministry of Natural Resources released the 2022 National Mineral Resource Reserves Statistics, showing that among the 163 mineral species for which reserves have been identified nationwide, nearly 40% have seen increases in their reserves. Reserves of strategic emerging minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel increased by 57%, 14.5%, and 3%, respectively, with a significant rise in proven lithium reserves.
　　At a regular press conference, Bo Zhiping, Director of the Department of Mineral Resource Protection and Supervision of the Ministry of Natural Resources, said that lithium is hailed as the “metal of green energy” and “white petroleum,” with wide-ranging applications in fields such as energy storage, chemical industry, pharmaceuticals, metallurgy, and electronics. As the global transition toward a green, low-carbon economy accelerates and new-energy vehicles rapidly develop, the strategic importance of lithium resources has become increasingly prominent. Countries are paying close attention to the security of lithium supply and have accordingly included lithium in their lists of critical minerals. According to 2022 statistical data, China’s lithium reserves increased by 57% year-on-year. Among them, Jiangxi Province’s reserves surpassed those of Qinghai and Sichuan, ranking first nationwide and accounting for 40% of the country’s total reserves. In 2022, Jiangxi accounted for 94.5% of the nation’s total increase in lithium reserves.