The China Geological Survey under the Ministry of Natural Resources announced on January 8 that significant progress has been made in lithium exploration, thanks to a nationwide strategic initiative.
Source: China Energy News
The China Geological Survey under the Ministry of Natural Resources announced on January 8 that significant progress has been made in lithium exploration, thanks to a nationwide strategic initiative. Collaborating with provincial geological survey units and mining enterprises, the Ministry launched an intensive exploration campaign targeting key areas such as Sichuan, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Jiangxi, and Inner Mongolia. This effort has uncovered over 10 million tons of new lithium resources across spodumene, salt lake, and lepidolite deposits. As a result, China's share of global lithium reserves has surged from 6% to 16.5%, elevating its global ranking from sixth to second.
A groundbreaking discovery was the identification of a world-class spodumene lithium metallogenic belt stretching 2,800 kilometers across the West Kunlun, Songpan, and Ganzi regions. With over 6.5 million tons of proven reserves and a resource potential exceeding 30 million tons, this discovery significantly enriches China's lithium resource portfolio. It also broadens exploration areas and provides new opportunities for lithium development, offering valuable guidance for exploration efforts in regions such as Xinjiang, Sichuan, and Qinghai. This breakthrough is expected to contribute to regional economic growth and social development.
In addition, assessment and evaluation have revealed over 14 million tons of new salt lake lithium resources, making China the third-largest salt lake lithium base in the world, following South America's Lithium Triangle and the western United States. Meanwhile, advances in lithium extraction technology from lepidolite in Jiangxi and other regions have enhanced the efficiency and economic feasibility of these deposits. This has added over 10 million tons of new resources, paving the way for new exploration prospects in areas such as Hunan and Inner Mongolia, and positioning them as key contributors to China's growing lithium reserves.