China reports ‘stunning’ critical minerals finds as hi-tech race with US heats up

China has announced major discoveries of various critical minerals, including rare earths and fluorite, bolstering its reserves of the resources essential for the hi-tech, new energy and defence industries.

At the Maoniuping mine in Sichuan province’s Mianning county, authorities announced the discovery of 9.7 million tonnes of rare earth oxides, bringing the site’s total proven reserves to 10.4 million tonnes, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday.

Surveys also revealed 27.1 million tonnes of fluorite and 37.2 million tonnes of baryte, qualifying the site as a “super-large” deposit for both minerals.

The deposits tighten China’s grip over the production of rare earths – a group of 17 elements vital for technologies ranging from smartphones and electric vehicles to weapons and spacecraft.

But while rare earths often grab attention, the fluorite and baryte finds were the truly “stunning” discoveries, Wang Denghong, director of the Institute of Mineral Resources at the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, told Xinhua.

Fluorite, also known as fluorspar, is a critical mineral used in the semiconductor and lithium-ion battery industries. Baryte, meanwhile, is a crucial weighting agent in oil and gas drilling, where it is used for well stabilisation and blowout control.

“Without baryte, oil and gas exploration and production would grind to a halt, and the extraction of shale oil and gas would be out of the question,” Wang said.

South China Morning Post