Economic Daily reporter Huang Xiaofang       
        On February 25, 2021, the Ministry of Natural Resources held a press conference on the achievements of mineral exploration breakthroughs in the past decade, announcing that China has added 10.1 billion tons of new oil resources in the past decade, accounting for approximately 25% of the total identified since the establishment of the People's Republic of China. In the past decade, natural gas has added 6.85 trillion cubic meters of resources, accounting for approximately 45% of the total identified since the establishment of New China. 17 billion ton oil fields and 21 100 billion cubic meter gas fields have been discovered.

        Yu Haifeng, director of the geological prospecting Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources, said that China's mineral resources exploration and development focus has shifted to the west and expanded to the sea area. The newly proved geological reserves and production of petroleum in western China account for 62% and 34% of the national total respectively, and natural gas accounts for 85% and 84%. In 2020, offshore oil and gas production will account for about a quarter of the country's oil and gas production. Of the 32 newly formed non-oil and gas mineral resource bases in the country, 25 are distributed in the west.

        It is reported that in 2011, The State Council approved the implementation of the "mining breakthrough Strategy Action Outline". The amount of new crystalline graphite resources in ten years is 336 million tons, accounting for about 65% of the total identified since the founding of New China. Manganese 1.2 billion tons, molybdenum 18.74 million tons, tungsten 6.12 million tons, gold 8085 tons, accounting for about 50% of the total.

       Yu Haifeng said that in the next step, the Ministry of Natural Resources and other departments will fully mobilize the enthusiasm of local and social forces, organize the implementation of the Strategic Mineral Exploration Action (2021-2035), increase domestic mineral exploration, especially intensive inspection, and enhance China's energy and strategic mineral resources security capabilities.

Information source：Economic Daily - China Economic Net