China will accelerate a new round of strategic mineral exploration to secure supplies of critical resources, the Ministry of Natural Resources said, as the country seeks to lock in energy and mineral security during its 15th "Five-Year Plan" period.

The ministry outlined measures to increase domestic reserves and production of oil, iron, copper, aluminum and other scarce minerals, while also developing advantageous resources such as rare earths, Vice Minister Zhou Xing said at a press conference.

In the first eight months of 2026, transaction value for national exploration rights rose 133.5% from a year earlier, while spending on non-oil and gas mineral exploration climbed 8.1% year on year in the first half, according to Liu Guohong, the ministry's Party secretary and national chief inspector of natural resources.

New offshore shipbuilding orders and offshore engineering equipment orders jumped 83.7% and 160.8% respectively over the same period, Liu said.

The latest round of exploration breakthroughs has added nearly 70 million tonnes of recoverable oil reserves and 610 billion cubic meters of recoverable natural gas reserves in the first eight months of 2026, Liu said. New resources at the Chating copper-gold mine in Anhui and the Zhugongtang lead-zinc mine in Guizhou reached super-large scale.

Zhou said China's demand for key mineral resources will continue to grow rigidly during the 15th "Five-Year Plan" period, given its position as a major manufacturing nation.

To shore up the exploration base, the ministry will implement a national geological mapping plan, raising the coverage of 1:50,000 regional geological surveys to 51% and mineral geological surveys in key metallogenic belts to 66%.

The ministry will organize major exploration campaigns focused on oil, iron, copper, aluminum and other scarce minerals, while also covering advantageous minerals such as rare earths. It aims to discover a batch of large and medium-sized mineral deposits and oil and gas fields, and will steadily advance the construction of about 300 energy and resource bases to significantly raise self-sufficiency in strategic minerals.

The ministry will also deepen innovation in exploration theory, technology and equipment, and expand the use of artificial intelligence to tap energy and resources in deep earth and vast oceans. It will continue re-evaluating existing resources to revitalize previously unusable low-grade and associated minerals, and push mining companies to improve recovery rates.

In addition, the ministry will implement the new Mineral Resources Law and its supporting regulations, improve systems for geological surveys, competitive transfer of mining rights, mining land use and ecological restoration, and attract more talent, capital and technology into the mining sector.