In 2024, the metals for which China’s production accounted for 50% or more of total global production were primary gallium (99%), mined mercury (94%, estimated), primary magnesium (88%, estimated), silicon metal (87%, estimated), refined bismuth (86%, estimated), mined tungsten (82%, estimated), refined tellurium (76%, estimated), mined vanadium (71%), mined rare earths (71%, estimated), refined indium (70%), pig iron (67%), ferrosilicon and titanium sponge (67% each, estimated), alumina and smelted aluminum (60% each), and raw steel (54%). The industrial minerals for which China’s production accounted for 50% or more of world production were natural graphite (82%), lime (74%), wollastonite (70%, estimated), mined magnesium compounds (61%, estimated), and fluorspar (58%, estimated).
In 2024, the mining sector contributed an estimated 2.9% to the gross domestic product. In December, the Government banned the export of dual-use items (with both military and civilian applications) related to antimony, gallium, germanium, and superhard materials, and implemented stricter end-user review and export control of graphite for dual use items to the United States. The legislative framework for the mineral sector in China is provided by the Mineral Resources Law, which was enacted in March 1986 and amended in 1996, 2009, and 2024. The mineral industry is administered by complementary rules, regulations, and guidelines issued by the State Council, local congresses, and central-level ministries, commissions, and agencies under the direct supervision of the State Council. Most mining and mineral-processing activities were conducted by state-owned or state-controlled enterprises; however, the share of state ownership was relatively smaller in the downstream smelting, rolling, and metal-product-manufacturing sectors.
