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China has successfully verified a number of super-large deposits this year, including the Chating copper-gold mine in East China’s Anhui Province, marking a major breakthrough in minerals exploration and reserve growth, officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources announced at a press conference on Tuesday. 

Preliminary estimates show that the Chating mine’s potential copper resources are equivalent to those of several large copper mines, while its potential gold resources are equivalent to those of more than ten large gold mines. It is expected to become a super-large copper-gold production base in East China and a landmark exploration achievement in the region at the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), China Media Group reported.

Copper and gold are both strategic minerals. Copper is widely used in photovoltaics, wind power, energy storage, new-energy vehicles and power grids, while gold is important for high-end electronics, new materials, reserve assets and finance, according to the report.

The Yangtze River Delta is a major hub for copper smelting, cable manufacturing and new-energy industries, but it lacks local copper and gold resources. Most copper concentrate must be transported from western China or imported from overseas, raising costs and exposing supply chains to international risks.

The Chating mine will help address this shortage, reduce supply-chain risks and support new energy and advanced manufacturing, analysts said.

At the press conference, the ministry also outlined main tasks for mineral exploration during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

Efforts will focus on strengthening geological surveys, increasing exploration and mining, promoting technological innovation and improving policies. The aim is to discover more and larger deposits, improve self-sufficiency in strategic minerals, and better secure China’s energy and resource supplies.

Global Times