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On July 13 (Sunday), the Ecuadorian government and the nascent mining industry are engaged in a legal battle over a controversial fee announced last month. The industry believes that the fee will hinder exploration tax revenue, and the mining sector has already filed a petition for cancellation with the Constitutional Court. The government claims that the measure will raise funds to combat informal mining, thereby benefiting the industry. "I look forward to presenting my position at the hearing," said Ines Manzano, the Minister of Energy and Minerals. This South American country is facing an increasing threat from illegal mining. The government claims that the new fee will generate $229 million in annual revenue for the regulatory body ARCOM. However, the industry argues that some junior exploration companies will have to pay fees higher than their market value, limiting their ability to explore more of the country's vast gold and copper resources. Chamber President María Eulalia Silva stated, "This will only make Ecuador disappear from the investment map of the region." (Comprehensive report from Wenhua)

Shaping a New Paradigm for the Development of Non-Ferrous Mining Industry: Innovation, Green, Digital, and Win-Win Cooperation ——Excerpt from a speech at the 2025 (21st) China Non-Ferrous Metals Mining Conference China Non-Ferrous Metals Industry Association Party Secretary and Chairman Ge Honglin Taking advantage of this conference, I would like to share four perspectives on shaping a new paradigm for the high-quality development of China's non-ferrous metals mining industry. New Changes in the Global Non-Ferrous Metals Mining Industry Currently, amidst unprecedented global transformations, the international landscape is undergoing profound reshaping. With intensifying competition among major powers and the continuous deepening of the global technological revolution and industrial transformation, critical minerals have become a key area of strategic competition among countries. As an important basic industry of the national economy, the strategic value of the non-ferrous metals mining industry is increasingly prominent globally, and its development landscape is exhibiting unprecedented new characteristics. First, geopolitical rivalries are intensifying, and the supply chain of critical minerals is facing the risk of instability. From an external perspective, with the intensifying rivalry between China and the US, the US is vigorously promoting the autonomy of the industry chain for critical minerals and collaborating with overseas allies to establish a resilient supply chain for critical minerals. In particular, over the past one to two years, its control over critical minerals, key technologies, and critical equipment has been continuously strengthening. Non-economic factors such as national security and public security are exerting an increasing influence on the division of labor in the global industrial chain. For example, the US and Europe are accelerating the establishment of critical minerals alliances, attempting to exclude other countries from the global supply chain through mechanisms such as the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) and the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII). The EU's Critical Raw Materials Act requires that by 2030, the localization ratio of lithium and rare earth processing should exceed 40%. The US's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) excludes foreign battery materials through tax incentives. Such industrial policies, characterized by anti-globalization and over-securitization, aim to create a "chilling effect" on other countries' overseas mineral investments. In the future, for China's mining industry or overseas investments, especially in the field of foreign investment cooperation related to critical minerals, systemic risks will continue to rise. Identifying and addressing these risks has gradually become one of the important topics for the internationalization and globalization of Chinese enterprises. Second, resource nationalism is on the rise, and overseas layouts are facing the risk of reconfiguration. From the successive disputes over foreign investment cooperation in Niger, DRC, Chad, and other places to the large-scale cancellation of mining licenses (46) in Guinea, these seemingly isolated cases actually reflect profound changes in the global mining order. Taking cobalt as an example, the DRC supplies 70% of the world's cobalt resources. On February 22 this year, the DRC announced a four-month suspension of all cobalt ore exports. It is estimated that the suspension of exports may lead to a reduction of approximately 70,000 mt in exports in 2025. Affected by this, the price of refined cobalt experienced significant volatility, rising from 160,000 yuan/mt in the last week of February to 240,000 yuan/mt in the first week of May, with a cumulative increase of over 50% in two months. This policy adjustment not only exposed the risk of a singularized global cobalt resource supply chain but also inevitably accelerated the process of diversifying the global cobalt supply chain. Thirdly, upgraded requirements for green, low-carbon, and responsible sourcing are reshaping global investment philosophies. This not only involves stricter environmental regulations and increased supply chain transparency but also represents a rigid assessment of the sustainable development capabilities of the global industry chain. For example, the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) includes aluminum and nickel in its initial taxation scope. The New Battery Regulation requires full life cycle carbon footprint certification for lithium carbonate by 2027, compelling mainstream battery enterprises to increase the proportion of green electricity used in the production of lithium batteries and actively promote zero-carbon factories. In the future, ESG ratings and responsible supply chain audits will directly impact corporate financing costs and international cooperation opportunities. More importantly, they will reshape global investment philosophies. New Development Trends in China's Non-Ferrous Metals Industry As a crucial basic material for the national economy, the non-ferrous metals industry has achieved remarkable results in high-quality development in recent years, benefiting from breakthroughs in scientific and technological innovation, the vigorous development of new quality productive forces such as the "new three" (PV, lithium-ion battery and NEV), the continuous deepening of domestic supply-side structural reforms, the steady advancement of "Belt and Road" international cooperation, and the support of national policies to expand domestic demand. The industry's total return on assets has exceeded the national industrial average for four consecutive years, and its added value, revenue, and profits rank among the top in the national industrial sector. The specific situation is as follows: Trend 1: Continuing to maintain a positive development momentum. According to statistics, from January to April, the production of ten non-ferrous metals reached 26.6 million mt, up 2.3% YoY. The growth rate of the added value of the non-ferrous metals industry above designated size increased by 7.4% YoY. Fixed asset investment increased by 20.7% compared to the same period last year, surpassing the national industrial investment growth rate by 9 percentage points. Non-ferrous metals industrial enterprises above designated size achieved a revenue of 3.09 trillion yuan, up 18.0% YoY, and a total profit of 128.17 billion yuan, up 30.3% YoY, continuing to lead in the industrial sector. Trend 2: Technological innovation has become a powerful driving force for industry development. In recent years, China has achieved breakthroughs in a number of key generic technologies in the non-ferrous metals sector, injecting strong momentum into the development of the global non-ferrous metals industry. Among them, the independently developed efficient leaching technology for low-grade laterite nickel ore hydrometallurgy has transformed the global nickel resource supply landscape. The adsorption-membrane method for lithium extraction from salt lakes with a high magnesium-to-lithium ratio has solved the core challenges of low efficiency, high cost, and significant pollution in separating magnesium and lithium from China's salt lake brines, significantly enhancing China's lithium resource utilization level. Another example is the cobalt precipitation-specific active magnesium oxide product developed by Western Mining Co., Ltd., which has broken the long-term monopoly of foreign products in the African cobalt precipitation magnesium oxide market and provided strong support for domestic enterprises to enter the international market. In addition, domestically developed process technologies such as continuous copper smelting and converting technology, triple-furnace lead smelting technology, zinc smelting leaching residue disposal technology, and regenerative vertical tank magnesium smelting technology have all reached world-class advanced levels. The application of intelligent "wind power" and "PV" direct current (DC) power supply for aluminum smelting technology has become a typical case of technology-driven industrial innovation and is leading the global development of green electricity aluminum smelting. Trend 3: Industry chain integration and policy coordination inject new vitality into the industry. Currently, China's non-ferrous metals industry is transitioning from "leading in scale" to "leading in quality." "Industry chain integration" and "policy coordination" are transforming the traditional development model of non-ferrous metals. For instance, Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, has established a full chain of "mining - separation and smelting - magnetic materials - permanent magnet motors." Jiyuan, Henan Province, has achieved comprehensive utilisation of rare and precious metals such as gold, silver, copper, antimony, and bismuth, as well as cogeneration, following a circular development model of "resources - products - waste products - renewable resources," truly achieving "full utilisation" and creating a sample of China's lead circular economy. Meanwhile, policy coordination is injecting development vitality into the industry. For example, Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, has issued the "Rare Earth, Tungsten, and Rare Metal Industry Development Plan (2021-2025)" and the "Three-Year Action Plan for High-Quality Development of the Permanent Magnet Motor Industry," along with the "Ten Golden Rules for Investment Attraction," providing strong policy support and institutional guarantees for the development of the "rare earth - permanent magnet motor" industry chain through a combination of policies such as land allocation preferences, equipment subsidies, and tax exemptions. Trend 4: The construction of green mine factories has significantly enhanced the sustainable development capabilities of industry enterprises. According to relevant statistics, currently, there are over 4,000 green mines nationwide, accounting for 10% of non-oil and gas licensed mines in China. In terms of scale, large and medium-sized mines account for over 70% in total. In terms of industry, there are 314 green mines in the non-ferrous metals industry, accounting for 7.8% of green mines nationwide and 14% of licensed non-ferrous metal mines, which is higher than the average level of the mining industry. Among them, there are 124 national-level green non-ferrous metal mines, 134 provincial-level green non-ferrous metal mines, and 56 prefecture-level green non-ferrous metal mines, not only with a high overall level but also with full coverage of large mines. Trend 5: The strategic supporting role of the non-ferrous metals industry in modern manufacturing is becoming increasingly prominent. China is the only country in the world capable of producing almost all "critical metals" in the "Mendeleev's Periodic Table" and has a complete supporting industry chain system. It is capable of not only producing qualified non-ferrous metal products but also supporting the production of high-end materials for key downstream sectors, thereby ensuring China's leading position in critical areas such as high-speed rail, PV, new energy batteries, and NEVs. Additionally, it has achieved mass application of high-end and high-purity materials such as 7N-grade high-purity indium for 5G communication chips and 6N-grade high-purity copper for integrated circuits. Large-format ultra-high-purity nickel-platinum targets and other sputtering targets have broken foreign technological monopolies, achieving independent control. The R&D and application technologies for new energy materials such as sintered NdFeB magnetic materials and LFP have reached world-class levels, effectively supporting the development needs of industries such as next-generation information technology, new energy, and high-end equipment. The development of non-ferrous metal materials not only meets the needs of critical sectors in China and globally but also serves as a powerful measure to safeguard national security, enhance the resilience of the industry chain, and counter hegemonic practices. For example, following the Ministry of Commerce's inclusion of gallium and germanium in the export control list on August 1, 2023, antimony, tungsten, bismuth, tellurium, molybdenum, indium, and rare earths were successively added to the export control list in 2024 and 2025. Particularly against the backdrop of the "tariff war" initiated by the US, China's non-ferrous metal industry has provided strong support for countering hegemonic practices. China's Non-Ferrous Metal Mining Industry New Challenges in High-Quality Development Since the "14th Five-Year Plan," China's mineral resource security capacity has significantly improved. A number of major projects have been implemented domestically, including the Yulong Copper Mine in Tibet, the Julong Copper Mine, the Xiarihamu Nickel Mine in Qinghai, and the Dahongliutan Rare Earth Metal Mine in Xinjiang's Hotan. A series of resource projects have also been put into operation overseas in Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, and other regions, further enhancing resource security capacity. By the end of 2024, the production of copper from overseas equity mines by Chinese enterprises accounted for nearly 30% of China's demand for copper concentrates. The production of overseas equity bauxite accounted for over 60% of imported bauxite and over 40% of the bauxite required for alumina production. The production of overseas equity nickel and cobalt fully met domestic demand. The "going global" strategy and the Belt and Road Initiative have injected new momentum into securing China's non-ferrous metal resources. However, despite these achievements, the development of China's non-ferrous metal mining industry still faces numerous new challenges. Challenge 1: Ensuring the security of critical mineral resources remains the primary issue for industry development. As China's demand for non-ferrous metal mineral resources continues to expand, how to ensure a safe, sufficient, and stable supply of critical mineral resources remains the primary challenge confronting the industry. According to statistics, in 2024, the physical content of imported non-ferrous metal ore products in China reached 230 million mt, a 4.5% increase from 2023. The overall "external purchase ratio" of the non-ferrous metal industry exceeded 60%. Among the 22 major non-ferrous metal minerals in China, 18 mineral resources rely on imports, and 12 have an external dependency ratio exceeding 50%. Among them, the external dependency ratios for strategic mineral resources such as copper, aluminum, nickel, cobalt, lithium, tantalum, niobium, and platinum group metals reach 80%, 67%, 86%, 98%, 70%, 90%, 95%, and 80%, respectively. The "externally purchased ratio" for traditionally advantageous minerals like tin, antimony, and zinc is also continuously rising, reaching 65%, 40%, and 37%, respectively. Behind this set of data lies the hidden pain of supply chain security. Challenge 2: The environmental governance situation for mines and smelting remains severe. Currently, although breakthroughs have been achieved in China's mining technology and clean metallurgical technology, waste-free mining has been realized in individual lead-zinc mines. Arsenic and mercury in the smelting process can basically be recovered and reused. However, with the continuous increase in total volume, the disposal quantity and digestion difficulty are both rising. Additionally, with the upgrading of environmental protection standards, special emission standards for air and water pollutants are being implemented in key regions, imposing stricter environmental protection requirements on the production processes of mines and smelters. "Special emissions" have gradually become a standard configuration for heavy non-ferrous metal smelters. In 2024, seven ministries and commissions, including the Ministry of Natural Resources, jointly issued the "Notice on Further Strengthening the Construction of Green Mines," explicitly requiring that by the end of 2028, 90% of large mines and 80% of medium-sized mines must meet the standards, while small mines need to strengthen management with reference to the standards. The policy has specially established a closed-loop management mechanism of "rectification within a time limit - evaluation and acceptance - withdrawal and elimination," and has introduced supporting financial support policies such as green credit and special bonds. Currently, the non-ferrous metal industry has only a 2-3 year window for transformation. It is imperative to focus on overcoming the application of core technologies such as green and low-carbon advanced and applicable technologies to achieve the goal of green mine construction on schedule. Challenge 3: Insufficient technological innovation remains a bottleneck that urgently needs to be broken through. Technological innovation in the non-ferrous metal mining industry faces multi-dimensional bottlenecks, specifically reflected in the inefficient extraction of low-grade ores, insufficient transformation of deep-sea mining equipment and core technologies, and lagging industrial synergy and digital transformation. For example, in the field of deep-sea mining in China, in 2021, the Changsha Institute of Mining Research under Minmetals developed the world's first set of 6000-meter-level intelligent equipment for deep-sea mining operations, enabling China to take the lead in the global competition for deep-sea mineral resources. However, full commercialization still requires breaking through multiple bottlenecks in technology, policy, environmental protection, and economics. In the future, it is necessary to take technological innovation as the core, balance resource development and ecological protection, and lead the formulation of standards and rules to occupy a dominant position in this strategic emerging field. Additionally, the digital and intelligent development of mines has become a trend, but the penetration rate of intelligent mines and industrial internet in the entire industry is still low, and the automation level of production processes needs to be improved. Challenge 4: Cut-throat competition remains a persistent obstacle to development. The surplus of low and mid-end capacity and cut-throat competition have long been challenges for the "non-ferrous industry" beyond the electrolytic aluminum sector. In recent years, this has rapidly expanded into high-end fields. Most notably, there has been excessive growth in smelting and processing capacity in the intermediate stages, with provinces and enterprises engaging in unhealthy competition, leading to an oversupply of smelting and processing capacity in certain areas. According to statistics, since 2020, China has added over 3.7 million mt of copper smelting capacity, representing an increase of approximately 30%. The total national capacity has surpassed 16 million mt, exceeding the domestic demand for 14.5 million mt of copper cathode in 2024 and far outstripping the domestic copper concentrate supply capacity (with a self-sufficiency rate of less than 20% in 2024). The rapid growth in capacity has caused a continuous decline in copper concentrate treatment charges (TCs), which fell below -$45/mt by April 2025, a nearly 250% drop from the TCs of nearly $100 in 2023. This means that processing is now being done at a loss, and the copper smelting industry as a whole is operating at a deficit. Without urgent intervention, the industry will struggle to achieve high-quality development. China's Non-Ferrous Metal Mining Industry Four Pillars for High-Quality Development In the face of changing circumstances, China's non-ferrous metal mining industry must adhere to a "four-pillar" approach, with innovation as the engine, green development as the foundation, digital intelligence as the means, and mutual benefit as the goal, to build a new pattern of high-quality development. Pillar 1: Innovation as the Engine, Strengthening National Resource Security. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "mineral resources are an important material foundation for economic and social development." Therefore, industry enterprises should prioritize "mineral exploration breakthroughs" as a core strategic task, focusing on strategic mineral resources such as copper, nickel, cobalt, and rare earths. Through dual-driven innovation in science, technology, and institutional mechanisms, significant breakthroughs in exploration and development should be achieved, elevating the enhancement of resource security capabilities to a strategic level that safeguards the security of the national industry chain and supply chain and strengthens strategic bargaining power, thereby providing solid mineral resource support for building a new development pattern. Pillar 2: Green Development as the Foundation, Reshaping the Value Logic of Mining. Adhering to the principle of "ecological priority and green development," new paths for "zero-carbon mines" should be explored, focusing on green mine construction, ecological restoration, and comprehensive utilization of waste and tailings. Demonstration projects for "zero-carbon and zero-waste mines" should be established to gradually achieve sustainable, low-carbon development in the non-ferrous metal mining industry. Pillar 3: Digital Intelligence as the Means, Achieving "Dual-Chain Integration" of Scientific and Technological Innovation and Industrial Transformation. Platforms should be built and institutional mechanisms improved to strengthen the dominant position of enterprises in innovation, with a focus on advancing in three key areas: scientific and technological breakthroughs, industrial transformation, and digital empowerment. In the technology sector, breakthroughs will be made in key technologies such as intelligent exploration systems (AI geological modeling), ultra-deep well, deep-sea, and deep-space mining robots, as well as CO2 mineralization and sequestration technology. On the industrial side, efforts will be made to promote collaboration among mining industry, academia, and research institutions, as well as joint mining and smelting operations. Meanwhile, technologies such as 5G and big data will be integrated to build an intelligent management and control platform, achieving full-process digital upgrading of mine exploration, production, and management, and comprehensively enhancing the efficiency of resource development and utilization, as well as management standards. We aim to make the "mine brain" smarter and the "mining backbone" stronger. Driver 4: Adopting a win-win philosophy to pioneer a new paradigm for international mining cooperation. Currently, Chinese non-ferrous metal enterprises' overseas cooperation is transitioning from "resource cooperation" to a stage of "technological symbiosis" and "cultural resonance" that can better win the long-term trust of partner countries. As Chinese enterprises "go global," while engaging in resource cooperation in resource-rich countries, they also provide "Chinese solutions" through the flexible implementation of "China speed," optimizing resource integration capabilities, and deeply aligning talent cultivation with industrial needs. For example, conducting joint experiments and technological breakthroughs in green metallurgy and new energy materials in Indonesia; investing in community hospitals and vocational training centers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); and collaborating on the development of seawater lithium extraction technology in Chile. Through "shared benefits," "shared responsibilities," "technological symbiosis," and "cultural resonance," we will promote win-win international mining cooperation. In summary, we will drive technological transformation through innovation, solidify the foundation for development through green practices, empower industrial upgrading through digital intelligence, and pioneer a new global paradigm through win-win cooperation, making new and greater contributions to the construction of China as a powerhouse in non-ferrous metal mining and the sustainable development of the global mining industry.

According to MiningNews.net, Mauritania, sandwiched between the Sahara Desert and the Atlantic Ocean, is not typically considered a top mining destination. However, this perception needs to change if the transition to clean energy is to be achieved, said Sidi Mohamed Kaem, president of the country's gold industry association (FENOR). Earlier this month, Kaem expressed this view at a mining conference held in Dubai. Mauritania, renowned for its mining history, is now slowly opening up. Geological Background Kaem believes that the complex geological background makes Mauritania one of the most promising exploration targets on the African continent. Kaem pointed out that some areas in the country have ultramafic rocks with nickel grades as high as 5%, and over 140 lithium-bearing pegmatites have been discovered in the Adam Bisenein and Legchewat regions. In addition, economically viable copper-nickel deposits can also be found in the Mauritanides Range, where 60,000 mt of black sand (zircon, ilmenite, and titanium) were mined in 2024. Signs of rare earth element enrichment have also been observed in bastnaesite veins and other rocks. Worth the Risk In a brief interview on the sidelines of the conference, Kaem stated that Mauritania offers a unique opportunity for those interested in exploration. "Our goal is not just to mine. We are opening doors to strategic partners," he said. "(Ultimately) Mauritania should not be seen as a remote country but should stand at the center of the global mineral supply chain." Mauritania's economy already heavily relies on the mining sector, which accounts for a quarter of its GDP and 60% of its export value. However, even though exploration companies have discovered cobalt, graphite, rare earth, and platinum group metal deposits, they have not received widespread international attention. Kaem's report showed that early exploration in areas such as Jmeilanie and Tijirit had "good sample analysis results," and black sand mining in these areas was already in large-scale production. Mauritania's geographical location, coastal access, and relative proximity to Europe and West Africa are additional advantages. Building Infrastructure "Developing large-scale mining projects remains challenging for local enterprises or international partners lacking financial support," Kaem acknowledged in his speech. "Despite the significant exploration potential, the country's lack of infrastructure affects transportation and increases operating costs." Like many developing countries, Mauritania also faces human resource challenges. ""Although Mauritania has potential, it lacks the skilled workforce required for modern mining, which will hinder its expansion," When asked about potential operational difficulties, Kem acknowledged that capacity building was crucial. "We hope this will serve as a lever for inclusive growth. It is very important for us," Desert Mining The second issue is environmental concerns. In a region facing desertification and resource pressures, the risk of uncontrolled mining is extremely high. "Mining has a significant impact on the environment, and sustainable management is needed while addressing community, land use, and social responsibility concerns," Kem suggested. When asked about what sustainable mining entails, Kem stated, "We are developing frameworks and amending laws to align with international practices. However, we need to do more, especially in engaging with communities." Currently, iron ore is Mauritania's most mature mining sector, but the boom in critical minerals has introduced new variables: new markets, new players, and adaptation to ESG standards and geopolitics. The country's regulatory information seems to align with this shift, particularly for those willing to take risks.

Amid the intertwining of the global clean energy revolution and geopolitical resource competition, India is reshaping its mining landscape with unprecedented intensity. As the world's fifth-largest economy, India is well aware of the pivotal role critical minerals play in achieving carbon neutrality, ensuring national defense security, and advancing the "Make in India" strategy. Since 2023, from domestic policy deregulation to overseas resource acquisitions, from deep-sea mining initiatives to circular economy innovations, India has been accelerating the construction of its critical mineral supply chain through a stimulus policy package. However, the constraints of resource endowments, technological barriers, and the complexity of international competition have intensified the clash between its ambitions and reality. Domestic Policy: Dual-Track Reform Driven by Capital and Technological Breakthroughs ——Injection of 100 Billion-Level Funds and Accelerated Exploration In January 2025, the Indian Federal Ministry of Mines approved a special fund of 163 billion rupees (approximately $1.87 billion) to support the exploration and development of 30 strategic minerals, including lithium, cobalt, and nickel. The plan covers three core areas: Upgrading Geological Exploration. Deploying AI geological modeling and satellite remote sensing technologies to conduct three-dimensional mineralization predictions for the Jammu and Kashmir lithium mining area, aiming to identify reserves exceeding 8 million mt by 2027. Offshore Resource Development. Launching the Indian Ocean polymetallic nodule exploration project, utilizing the autonomous deep-sea submersible "Samudrayaan" to assess resources at depths of 5,000 meters. Public-Private Collaboration Mechanism. Introducing a "50% exploration cost subsidy" policy to attract private capital from entities like Tata Group and Vedanta Resources to participate in rare earth exploration in Odisha. Additionally, the public sector has simultaneously added an investment of 180 billion rupees, focusing on the construction of a graphite purification plant in Madhya Pradesh and a lithium electrolysis base in Karnataka, aiming to increase domestic lithium processing capacity to 150,000 mt/year by 2030. ——Technological Self-Reliance and Circular Economy Breakthroughs To overcome the bottleneck in mineral refining technology, the Indian Ministry of Mines announced the establishment of the "Center of Excellence for Critical Minerals" in June 2023, as the core technological support platform for its national critical minerals strategy. The center aims to integrate mineral resource data, establish dynamic monitoring mechanisms, and update the critical minerals list every three years to address supply chain risks. Technology R&D Clusters. Setting up three major R&D hubs in Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Bhopal, focusing on lithium-ion direct extraction (DLE) and rare earth bio-hydrometallurgy technologies. Digital Mine Pilot. Deploying a 5G intelligent mining system in the Chhattisgarh copper mining area to achieve real-time monitoring of ore grade and remote control of mining robots. Recycling Industry Chain Layout.The import tariffs on scrap from 12 types of critical minerals have been eliminated, with the aim of increasing the recovery rate of rare earth elements from electronic waste from 12% to 35%. ——Market-Oriented Reforms and Resource Positioning in Disputed Areas In March 2025, the Indian Ministry of Mines initiated the auction of 13 critical mineral blocks, setting three precedents: Revolution in Exploration Rights. For the first time, private enterprises were allowed to acquire 50-year exploration revenue rights through bidding, breaking the monopoly of state-owned enterprises. Focus on Strategic Resources. Controversial resources such as zinc mines in border areas and ilmenite in Kerala were included, strengthening geopolitical and economic presence. Design of Foreign Investment Restrictions. Foreign ownership was required to be no more than 49%, and the localisation rate of exploration equipment was required to reach 60%, creating a barrier of "trading market access for technology." This round of auctions attracted 23 companies from around the world to bid. Ultimately, the consortium led by the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) won the manganese ore block in Odisha for $2.2 billion, marking the dominance of local capital in the strategic resources sector. International Expansion: Three-Dimensional Development of Deep-Sea Mining and Resource Alliances ——Deep-Sea Mining: Seizing the Opportunity for Global High-Seas Resources In July 2024, India submitted an exploration application to the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (in the Pacific Ocean), with the goal of completing a feasibility study on the commercial exploitation of polymetallic nodules by 2026. The zone is estimated to contain 2.8 million mt of cobalt and 160 million mt of nickel, which could meet India's EV industry demand for 20 years. Technical verification will be undertaken by the research vessel "Sagar Nidhi." ——Resource Diplomacy: Building a Tripartite Alliance of "Africa-Indo-Pacific-Lithium Triangle" Rare Earth Layout in Africa. Joint exploration with Malawi was initiated in September 2024, led by the state-owned IREL company, with the goal of achieving a production capacity of 5,000 mt per year of rare earth oxides by 2028. Technological Synergy in the Indo-Pacific. In November 2024, through the "Quad" mechanism, US robotic mining patents were introduced, and ecological assessments of seabed rare earth enrichment zones were jointly conducted with Japan. Lithium Triangle in South America. In January 2025, a Memorandum of Understanding on Joint Lithium Resource Development was signed with Chile, granting exploration rights in the Atacama Salt Lake, with supporting construction of an exclusive logistics corridor at the Port of Antofagasta. ——Supply Chain Risk Hedging Mechanisms and Strategic Reserves In July 2024, a "Dynamic Risk Monitoring System for Critical Minerals" was established, setting a five-level early warning system based on indicators such as the political stability of source countries and the security of transportation corridors. In March 2025, a national strategic reserve plan was launched, with the first batch including six types of minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements. The target reserve volume is to meet 90 days of industrial demand, with storage bases located in underground salt caverns in Rajasthan. Systemic Challenges: The Triple Paradox of Resource Ambitions —The Dilemma of Technological Autonomy and Global Dependence Although India invested $3 billion in May 2023 to introduce Australian spodumene purification technology, the energy consumption of its domestic Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) process remains 40% higher than the international leading level, resulting in a development cost of $9,500/mt for the Reasi lithium mine, far exceeding the global average price. In the field of deep-sea mining, India only possesses operational capabilities at the 3,000-meter level, still a generation away from the 5,000-meter technical threshold required for commercial exploitation. —Structural Imbalance Between Market-Oriented Reforms and State-Owned Enterprise Dominance Among the 13 blocks auctioned as mentioned above, 70% were won by state-owned enterprise consortia, with private capital largely confined to auxiliary sectors. This "state capitalism" model, while enabling rapid resource concentration, has led private firms like Vedanta Resources to shift their investments towards cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), resulting in insufficient innovation vitality in the domestic industry chain. —Conflict Between Resource Development and Sustainable Governance Continuous protests have erupted in Odisha's Sukinda chromite mine due to tailings pollution, with hexavalent chromium concentrations in rivers exceeding standards by 200 times, forcing the government to suspend mining licenses for three blocks. In some border regions, the deep integration of resource development and military deployments may trigger disputes with neighboring countries. Strategic Insight: A Stress Test for National Capacity Building India's critical minerals strategy is essentially an extreme experiment in national capabilities: Institutional Innovation Dimension. The National Critical Minerals Mission (NCMM), a national strategic plan approved by the Indian government in January 2025, aims to enhance India's autonomy in critical minerals and reduce external dependence through systematic policy tools and international cooperation. NCMM marks the first cross-departmental collaboration, with the "Critical Minerals Empowerment Committee" directly led by the Cabinet Secretary, integrating resources from 12 departments including foreign affairs, defense, and environment. Global Governance Game. India is constructing a "decentralized" supply chain through the "Minerals Security Partnership" (MSP), but U.S. and European demands to exclude specific countries' technical standards force India to balance strategic autonomy with alliance interests. Conclusion: India's Formula for Resource Sovereignty From the foothills of the Himalayas to the Pacific Ocean basin, India is leveraging its nationwide system to address resource dilemmas. The underlying logic of this mining transformation lies not only in ensuring an adequate supply of critical minerals but also in reshaping global industrial value chains through resource sovereignty. However, as technological shortcomings confront geopolitical games and state capital stifles market vitality, India's ambitions may face the risk of strategic overextension characterized by "high investment but low output."In the next decade, the success or failure of this resource competition will determine whether India can transform from a resource-dependent country into a rule-maker, or whether it will fall into a new round of development traps. The answer may lie hidden within the polymetallic nodules of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, awaiting the test and verification of time.

1. Procurement Conditions The purchaser of this procurement project, the Open Inquiry and Comparison for Baima Electric Motors in the Mining Industry (PGWZMYHGXHD250507208873), is Pangang Group Material Trade Co., Ltd. The funds for this procurement project are self-raised, and the project now meets the procurement conditions. An open inquiry and comparison is now being conducted. 2. Project Overview and Procurement Scope 2.1 Project Name: Open Inquiry and Comparison for Baima Electric Motors in the Mining Industry 2.2 Alternative Procurement Method in Case of Failed Procurement: Switch to Negotiated Procurement 2.3 For details on the procurement content, scope, and scale of this project, please refer to the attachment "Material List Attachment.pdf". 3. Bidder Qualification Requirements 3.1 Consortium bidding is not allowed for this procurement. 3.2 For this procurement, the bidder must meet the following qualification requirements: Please refer to the attachment for details (if necessary). 3.3 For this procurement, the bidder must meet the following registered capital requirements: Registered capital for manufacturing enterprises: 2 million yuan or above 3.4 For this procurement, the bidder must meet the following performance requirements: The bidder must provide proof of sales performance for similar products within the three years prior to the bid submission deadline for this tendering project (copies of invoices for similar products must be provided and uploaded). The total performance amount must not be less than the total bid price amount. 3.5 For this procurement, the bidder must meet the following capability, financial, and other requirements: Financial requirements: Please refer to the attachment for details (if necessary). Capability requirements: Please refer to the attachment for details (if necessary). Other requirements: The bidder must provide enterprise qualification documents that have passed the annual inspection: (1) Scanned copy of the business license (or duplicate). (2) Scanned copy of the tax registration certificate (or duplicate) (except for those with a unified three-in-one certificate). (3) Scanned copy of the organization code certificate (or duplicate) (except for those with a unified three-in-one certificate). 3.6 For projects that must be tendered in accordance with the law, bids submitted by dishonest persons subject to enforcement are invalid for this procurement. 4. Acquisition of Procurement Documents 4.1 Those interested in participating in the bidding should log in to the Ansteel Smart Tendering and Bidding Platform at http://bid.ansteel.cn between 09:00 on May 8, 2025, and 09:00 on May 15, 2025 (Beijing time, the same hereinafter) to download the electronic procurement documents. Click to view tender details: 》Procurement Announcement for Open Inquiry and Comparison for Baima Electric Motors in the Mining Industry

According to a report released on the 8th by KPMG Australia and the University of Sydney, as reported by MiningNews.net, Chinese investment in the Australian mining industry sharply dropped to 34 million Australian dollars in 2023, compared to 1.8 billion Australian dollars in 2022. Of the 1.6 billion Australian dollars invested in 2022, 1.08 billion Australian dollars were invested by Baowu Steel Group in the Western Range joint venture, Huayou International invested approximately 500 million Australian dollars to acquire Prospect Resources, a Perth-based company with lithium mining projects in Zimbabwe, and nearly 200 million Australian dollars were invested in the Pajingo gold mine project in Queensland. However, these figures largely reflect the typical cyclical nature of mining industry investment. A year earlier, KPMG reported that Chinese investment in Australia was approximately 545 million Australian dollars, including a 318 million Australian dollar investment in AVZ Minerals' Manono lithium mine project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At least as of last year, the healthcare industry seems to have become the main target of Chinese investment in Australia. Data shows that from 2006 to 2023, Chinese investment in Australian companies exceeded 113 billion US dollars. Last year's investment was 892 million US dollars, far lower than the average of 10 billion US dollars from 2011 to 2017 and significantly lower than the 16.2 billion US dollars in 2008.

The mining sector in Jamaica experienced an approximate 23.6 per cent growth during the final quarter of 2023. Crude bauxite production in the island nation experienced a notable decline of 27 per cent, leading to a decrease in the bauxite capacity utilization rate to 32.7 per cent, marking a drop of 12.1 percentage points. Dr Wayne Henry, the Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), stated, "Alumina production grew by 32.9 per cent due to increased capacity utilisation at the Jamalco refinery. The alumina capacity utilisation rate increased to 39 per cent, up 9.6 percentage points compared with the corresponding quarter of 2022." Dr Henry remarked that this indicated a rise in alumina production.