A CNOOC oilfield in Bohai Sea Photo: Courtesy of CNOOC

China achieved new progress in its latest round of strategic mineral exploration during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), with the discovery of 10 large oilfields and 19 large natural gas fields, while reserves of uranium, copper, gold, lithium and potash all recorded significant growth, CCTV News reported on Tuesday, citing data from China's Ministry of Natural Resources.  

The ministry said that China will continue to advance the new round of strategic mineral exploration, while also carrying out a special campaign to crack down on staking mining rights without conducting exploration and the illegal mining of strategic mineral resources.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), the ministry said that China will further improve a coordinated system covering the exploration, production, supply, storage and sales of strategic mineral resources. Efforts will also be made to strengthen monitoring and early warning mechanisms for resource security risks, and to formulate plans to enhance exploration, development and reserve capacities.

China has focused on key mineral types and adopted tailored, mineral-specific strategies to tackle exploration challenges, successfully meeting exploration targets during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25).

These sustained efforts have begun to yield landmark discoveries. On November 14, 2025, the ministry announced that China had discovered its first super-large, low-grade gold deposit - the Dadonggou deposit - in Northeast China's Liaoning Province. It holds an estimated 2.586 billion tons of ore with total gold resources of 1,444.49 tons at an average grade of 0.56 grams per ton, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The ministry said that the historic find will significantly bolster the country's strategic gold reserves and could lead to a world-class gold production base, supporting the full revitalization and high-quality development of Northeast China, according to the report.
 
At the macro level, these advances in domestic resource exploration are reflected in China's reserve management. Data from the People's Bank of China, the central bank, showed that in November, China's gold reserves increased by 30,000 ounces month-on-month to 74.12 million ounces, marking the central bank's 13th consecutive month of gold purchases.

Global Times