China updates its mineral resources catalogue with 174 mineral types

China has issued an updated catalogue of mineral resources that lists 174 mineral types and 119 subtypes.

The catalogue covers energy, metal, non-metal, and water-and-gas minerals, and updates a classification system dating to 1994.

It adds six minerals and changes or combines some existing categories, including grouping several kinds of natural gas under one subtype.

Natural mineral water is now explicitly listed as a mineral resource, so its extraction requires proven reserves, a mining licence, fees, and regulatory oversight.

The catalogue gives government agencies a clearer basis for managing exploration and mining, collecting taxes, protecting the environment, and identifying resources that need special safeguards.

China’s rules give strategic minerals special protection, including priority procedures for granting some exploration and mining rights.

The government plans more exploration for scarce resources such as oil, iron, copper, and aluminium, while also developing around 300 energy and resource bases to strengthen domestic supply.