China has reported significant increases in its identified resources of rhenium, gold and nickel, alongside the discovery of a major zircon deposit, as it seeks to secure supplies of minerals vital to industries from aerospace to electric vehicle batteries.

The progress could be significant for China, which remains heavily reliant on imports for some of these minerals, leaving its supply chains exposed at a time when many countries are tightening their grip on their mineral resources amid the global energy transition and rising geopolitical tensions.

China’s identified resources of rhenium more than doubled following a year-long nationwide reassessment of associated, low-grade and difficult-to-extract mineral deposits, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported over the weekend, citing data from the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The reassessment covered 17 strategic minerals across more than 1,800 operating mines and medium- to large-scale mining areas in 27 provincial-level regions.

It also identified additional gold resources equivalent to 50 large deposits and nickel resources equivalent to 30, Xinhua reported. Newly identified resources of gallium, indium, tantalum and vanadium were each equivalent to more than 10 large deposits.

“Following the assessment, the country’s retained resources of 13 minerals ... increased significantly ... laying an important resource foundation for improving China’s ability to safeguard its mineral supplies,” said Qiao Chunlei, deputy director of the ministry’s department of mineral resources protection and supervision, in the Xinhua report.

The three metals serve a range of industries. Rhenium is used in high-temperature alloys for jet engines and in catalysts for oil refining, while gold is used in electronics and semiconductor packaging. Nickel is a key material in stainless steel and rechargeable batteries.

Separately, China discovered a major zircon sand deposit in Baicheng county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Saturday, with resources equivalent to more than 40 large deposits, according to a separate Xinhua report.

“The discovery fills a gap in China’s exploration for super-large zircon deposits and could significantly boost domestic self-sufficiency in zircon,” the report said.

Zircon is the main source of zirconium, a metal used in nuclear reactor fuel cladding and heat-resistant alloys for aerospace applications.

Despite having a stronghold of reserves of rare earth elements, China remains heavily reliant on overseas supplies of certain key minerals.

In 2025, the country’s nickel mines produced only about 120,000 tonnes (132,277 short tons) of the metal, or 0.2 per cent of global output, while the country consumed 2.36 million tonnes, equivalent to 65.4 per cent of global demand, according to a report published last week by CIECC Research.

China’s reliance on imports is even greater for zirconium. It produced 60,000 tonnes of zirconium-hafnium ore last year, compared with global output of 4.5 million tonnes, leaving it with an external dependence on imports of 97.2 per cent, the report said. However, the discovery of a large deposit does not necessarily translate into an immediate increase in domestic supply.

Argus, an international energy and commodity price assessment agency, said the amount of the newly identified zircon resources that can be economically extracted and converted into marketable supply remains unclear, making it difficult to assess how much the discovery could reduce China’s reliance on imports.

Customs data showed that China’s imports of zirconium-bearing mineral products rose to 2.14 million tonnes in 2025. Imports reached 1.87 million tonnes in the first nine months of this year, putting the full-year total on track to exceed last year’s level, Argus added.