Reporters learned at the thematic press conference on “Promoting High-Quality Development” held by the State Council Information Office on September 19 that in 2023, a total of 459 exploration rights were granted nationwide, representing a year-on-year increase of 26.8%. From January to August of this year, a total of 868 exploration rights were granted nationwide, up 194.1% over the same period last year, including 528 exploration rights for strategic mineral resources, an increase of 254.4% year-on-year.
　　According to reports, in recent years, the Ministry of Natural Resources has been committed to enhancing the capacity for secure supply of energy and mineral resources by vigorously promoting exploration and development of mineral resources and facilitating the green transformation and development of the mining industry. On the one hand, the Ministry has steadily advanced a new round of strategic actions aimed at achieving breakthroughs in mineral exploration, continuously strengthening the country’s domestic resource security capabilities. It has further intensified basic geological work, providing enterprises with more targeted exploration prospects. The Ministry has also stepped up the issuance of exploration rights, encouraging companies to explore more, explore better, and explore larger deposits. Moreover, it has leveraged the guiding role of fiscal funding to attract greater participation of social capital in mineral exploration; as a result, the proportion of social capital in exploration investments has been steadily increasing. At the same time, in coordination with the Ministry of Finance, the method of collecting revenues from the transfer of mining rights has been changed—from a one-time determination upon acquisition of mining rights to a system in which revenues are collected annually based on sales revenue during mine production, thereby incentivizing enterprises to increase their exploration investments. Focusing on scarce and strategic minerals, the Ministry has intensified deep exploration and detailed investigation, achieving a series of significant exploration results. In 2023, four oil fields with reserves exceeding 100 million tons and four gas fields with reserves exceeding 100 billion cubic meters were newly discovered nationwide. The dominant positions of minerals such as tungsten, molybdenum, antimony, crystalline graphite, and phosphate rock have been further consolidated, while major exploration breakthroughs have been made in minerals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel, significantly enhancing the resource security needed for the development of strategic emerging industries. On the other hand, the Ministry of Natural Resources is fully promoting green exploration and development, integrating ecological protection into every stage of mineral resource exploration, development, and ecological restoration. During the new round of strategic actions for exploration breakthroughs, green exploration practices have been comprehensively implemented, with even stricter green exploration requirements enforced within ecological protection redlines, aiming to minimize the disturbance caused by exploration activities to the ecological environment. A sound system of standards for green mine construction has been established, with enterprises taking full responsibility for implementation. All newly built mines are being constructed in accordance with green mine standards, and existing mines are gradually being transformed to meet these standards. To date, the country has built over 1,000 national-level green mines and more than 3,100 provincial-level green mines. Looking ahead, the Ministry of Natural Resources will further refine the integrated system for the exploration, extraction, supply, storage, and marketing of strategic mineral resources, continue to deepen the new round of strategic actions for exploration breakthroughs, promote increased reserves and production of key energy and mineral resources, and support the building of a modern industrial system.