Production facilities at the 5 million ton per year mining and processing site of the Xiangyuan Lithium Polymetallic Mine of Hunan Zijin Lithium Co in Yongzhou, Central China's Hunan Province, on December 10, 2025. Photo: VCG

China on Wednesday released a new set of regulations on the implementation of the country's Mineral Resources Law. Set to take effect on June 15, 2026, these regulations are designed to ensure the effective implementation of the revised Mineral Resources Law and facilitate the proper development and utilization of mineral resources.

Consisting of eight chapters and 79 articles, the regulations set out provisions covering the mining sector, including further improvements to the country's mineral resource reserve and emergency response systems, according to the document.

In addition, the regulations also highlighted improvements to standards for mineral extraction, ecological restoration and regulatory oversight.

Experts said that improving the mining rights system will help boost market efficiency, strengthen property rights protection and encourage investment in mineral resource development, while also signaling China's intention to secure the stable development of critical mineral resources and help maintain global supply chain stability.

Xinhua said that the regulations clarify the principles for establishing a strategic mineral resource reserve system, further refine mechanisms covering strategic mineral product reserves, production capacity reserves and origin reserves, and improve emergency response measures for mineral resources.

According to the regulations, relevant authorities will coordinate the country's mineral product reserve work, formulate reserve plans and overall stockpiling targets on a regular basis, and dynamically adjust the types and scale of reserves. Relevant enterprises are also required to carry out mineral product reserve work in accordance with national regulations. 

Meanwhile, China will improve supporting policies and measures to encourage enterprises to build up mineral product reserves, read the regulations.

The regulations are designed to support the implementation of the revised Mineral Resources Law, which was amended on November 8, 2024 and came into effect on July 1, 2025, according to China's Ministry of Natural Resources. The ministry described the revision as the first major amendment to the law since it was introduced in 1986, saying that it is of great significance for safeguarding China's mineral resource security and advancing the high-quality development of the mining sector.

To better implement the country's Mineral Resources Law, Wednesday's regulations also further improve the mining rights system by setting out detailed provisions on the establishment, granting, renewal and transfer of mining rights.

In addition, China will refine systems related to mineral resource exploration and extraction. The regulations stipulate the establishment of a sound technical standards and regulatory framework for basic geological surveys, clarify procedures for applying for exploration and mining licenses, strengthen land-use support for mining activities, promote the comprehensive utilization of mineral resources, and specify the legal validity of mineral resource reserve reports.

The regulations also lay out arrangements for ecological restoration in mining areas.

The rules also aim at strengthening the conservation of mineral resources and ecological environment, advancing the high-quality development of the mining sector, and safeguarding mineral resource security, according to Xinhua.

In addition, China will further improve supervision and management mechanisms for mineral resource development, as well as systems for pursuing legal liability, according to Xinhua.

With the rapid advancement of industrialization and urbanization, China's demand for and consumption of mineral resources have continued to grow, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The emphasis on strategic mineral resource reserves and emergency response mechanisms serves as both an important incentive and safeguard, said Zhou Mi, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation. Against a backdrop of growing uncertainty in global trade and supply chains, China's efforts to improve its mineral resource reserve and emergency systems are also closely tied to broader trade and investment frameworks, aimed at strengthening industrial and supply chain stability and reducing vulnerabilities caused by external shocks, he told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Improving mineral resource management is also a key part of China's broader economic security framework, Zhou said, adding that it will help enhance the resilience of the Chinese economy while providing stronger resource support for the stable development of strategic emerging industries such as new-energy vehicles, photovoltaics and lithium batteries. "It will also strengthen the foundation for cooperation between Chinese and foreign companies."

China made major breakthroughs in its latest round of mineral exploration efforts. Experts said that the more detailed rules for industry activities also send a clear signal that China aims to better safeguard the stable development of critical mineral resources through improved institutional frameworks, while helping maintain global supply chain stability.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, China discovered 398 new medium-sized and large strategic mineral deposits and oil and gas fields, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources. Exploration of bulk minerals such as copper, gold and potash also achieved a series of historic breakthroughs. Exploration of strategic emerging minerals including lithium, helium and high-purity quartz also saw leapfrog development.