China launches 15th five-year plan for new round of strategic mineral prospecting

On June 15, the Ministry of Natural Resources convened a mobilization and planning meeting to kick off the new round of strategic mineral exploration for the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030).

The meeting underscored the need to stay firmly focused on the exploration targets for the upcoming five-year cycle, with six priority workstreams as follows: first, strengthening foundational geological surveys to generate a robust pipeline of prospecting targets and exploration block recommendations; second, accelerating exploration of strategic minerals to boost reserves and production of critical mineral resources; third, enhancing comprehensive resource utilization to unlock value from previously untapped or hard-to-process reserves; fourth, refining policy frameworks to safeguard both the state's ownership rights over mineral resources and the legitimate rights of mining rights holders; fifth, driving scientific and technological innovation to foster new quality productive forces in the mineral exploration sector; sixth, promoting green exploration and mining practices to minimize the ecological footprint of exploration and extraction activities.