On March 7, according to an announcement by Xingye Silver&Tin, Xiwuzhumuqin Banner Budun Yingen Mining Co., Ltd., a managed company of Inner Mongolia Xingye Silver&Tin Mining Co., Ltd., recently obtained the Reply on the Approval of the 2.97 million mt/year Underground Mining and Beneficiation Project for the Silver Mine in the Budunwula Mining Area of Budun Yingen Mining Co., Ltd., Xiwuzhumuqin Banner, Xilingol League, Inner Mongolia, issued by the Development and Reform Commission of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the Development and Reform Commission of Xilingol League. Budun Yingen Mining will implement an underground silver mining and beneficiation project in the mining area, with a construction scale of 2.97 million mt/year.

Recently, two hydrogen-powered excavators, two hydrogen-powered loaders, and four hydrogen-powered wide-body mining trucks were officially put into operation in the Jinshan mining area, marking the implementation of the integrated “production, storage, refueling, transportation, and use” layout of Daye’s hydrogen energy industry in the application segment. This achieved the large-scale use of hydrogen-powered heavy engineering equipment in mining areas across China and injected new momentum into the green, low-carbon transformation of mines. As core equipment developed by Taiyuan Heavy Machinery, the TZ350EH hydrogen-powered excavator and TZ958EH hydrogen-powered loader worked in coordination with hydrogen-powered wide-body mining trucks, covering the entire process of mining, loading, and transportation. The equipment emitted only pure water, thoroughly improving the operating environment of traditional mining areas. This batch of hydrogen-powered equipment was deeply optimized for the complex working conditions of mines, with prominent core advantages: the hydrogen-powered excavator featured zero emissions and low noise, and could operate at full load after just five minutes of hydrogen refueling; the hydrogen-powered loader integrated hydrogen power with heavy-load performance and, equipped with proprietary technology, reduced consumption and improved efficiency; the hydrogen-powered wide-body mining truck offered fast energy replenishment, a high energy recovery rate, and excellent low-temperature starting performance, laying a solid foundation for green transportation. This large-scale deployment enabled hydrogen-powered equipment to undergo practical verification in real mining scenarios. It not only opened up a new path for the clean replacement of mining equipment, but also stabilized market demand for upstream hydrogen production, storage, and transportation, promoted coordinated development across the upstream and downstream segments of the hydrogen energy industry chain, and provided a replicable and scalable practical model for transforming traditional mining areas into green and intelligent mines.

[SMM Tin Analysis: Armed Conflicts in Northern Myanmar, Analysis of the Man Maw Tin Mine Situation]

The Brazilian government has initiated a plan to allocate funds for innovation in the mining sector. The funding, totaling 200 million reais (equivalent to $40 million), is jointly established by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI) and the Research Projects Financing Agency (Finep), and will be implemented through the "Brazil Innovation Program." Against the backdrop of growing interest from domestic and overseas investors in developing projects related to critical minerals, the Brazilian government has launched this initiative. Notably, many of these projects, particularly rare earth separation projects, still require further R&D investment.

[Breaking News: Brazil Increases Investment in Mining Innovation] The Brazilian government has launched a plan to invest in innovation in the mining sector. The funding, totaling 200 million reais (equivalent to US$40 million), is jointly established by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) and the Financier of Studies and Projects (Finep), and will be implemented through the "Brazil Innovation and Technology Program." Against the backdrop of growing interest from domestic and overseas investors in projects related to critical minerals, the Brazilian government has introduced this initiative. It is worth noting that many of these projects, particularly rare earth separation projects, still require further investment in R&D.

According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in the first half of 2025 (H1), nationwide fixed-asset investment (excluding rural households) reached 24,865.4 billion yuan, up 2.8% YoY (calculated on a comparable basis; see Note 7 for details). Among this, private fixed-asset investment decreased by 0.6% YoY. After adjusting for price factors, fixed-asset investment (excluding rural households) increased by 5.3% YoY. On a MoM basis, fixed-asset investment (excluding rural households) decreased by 0.12% in June. By sector, investment in the primary sector was 481.6 billion yuan, up 6.5% YoY; investment in the secondary sector was 8,829.4 billion yuan, increasing by 10.2% YoY; and investment in the tertiary sector was 15,554.3 billion yuan, decreasing by 1.1% YoY. Within the secondary sector, industrial investment increased by 10.3% YoY. Among this, investment in mining increased by 3.4% YoY, investment in manufacturing increased by 7.5% YoY, and investment in the production and supply of electricity, heat, gas, and water increased by 22.8% YoY. Within the tertiary sector, infrastructure investment (excluding the production and supply of electricity, heat, gas, and water) increased by 4.6% YoY. Among this, investment in water transportation increased by 21.8% YoY, investment in water conservancy management increased by 15.4% YoY, and investment in railway transportation increased by 4.2% YoY. By region, investment in the eastern region decreased by 0.8% YoY, investment in the central region increased by 3.2% YoY, investment in the western region increased by 4.8% YoY, and investment in north-east China decreased by 1.9% YoY. By registration type, fixed-asset investment by domestically funded enterprises increased by 2.8% YoY, fixed-asset investment by enterprises from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan increased by 4.8% YoY, and fixed-asset investment by foreign-funded enterprises decreased by 13.6% YoY.