＂Three Rare Mineral Resources＂ and Crystalline Graphite Have Become Prospecting Focuses in China

With the global rise of industries of the new-generation information technology, energy conservation and environmental protection, biotechnology, high-end manufacturing, new materials and clean-energy vehicles, traditional metal materials cannot meet the functional requirements. Consequently, ＂three rare mineral resources＂, regarded as the best altemative for current and future new industries, have received much attention among industrial circles and have become a new focus during the present geological prospecting in China.

Significance of Rare Mineral Resources to Strategic Emerging Industries

As non-renewable natural resources, rare minerals＇ are extensively used as important raw materials in strategic emerging industries. As global consumption continues to increase over recent years, international competition in the area of rare mineral minerals has been escalating. On the basis＇ of the identification of 22 rare mineral resources of six categories and analysis of their applications in strategic emerging industries, this paper has adopted a three-factor analytical framework and designed nine indicators from the three dimensions of supply risks, environmental impacts and economic impacts of restricted supply to conduct a quantitative evaluation of the strategic significance of rare mineral resources. The result indicates that the strategic significance of platinum-group metals is the highest and the strategic significance of cesium is the lowest. In order to further increase the reliability of evaluation results, this paper has employed the Monte Carlo simulation for uncertainty analysis＇. Simulation result demonstrates that after the impacts＂ of individual indicators have been taken into account, the results＇ of this paper＇s evaluation of 22 rare mineral resources remain valid. Given the growing significance of rare mineral resources to strategic emerging industries, China should formulate a national strategy on rare mineral resources＇, strive to inerease the supply security of key raw materials for strategic emerging industries and achieve the sustainable development and utilization of rare mineral resources for national security of natural resources.

Liangshan Rare Earth Resources Reserve Ranks Second Nationwide

As early as on February 7,2014,the National Development and Reform Commission reviewed and formally approved to set up Panxi Strategic Resource Innovation Development Pilot Zone.Since its rare earth resource reserve ranked second nationwide,a number of counties and districts in Liangshan Prefecture are incorporated into the Pilot Zone,and become core components of this Pilot Zone.

Resource Restrictions Not Rare

China will restrict the uncontrolled exploitation and export of rare earth metals with the hope of protecting the environment China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has drafted a plan and related policies to develop the rare earth industry in 2009-15 and is now soliciting opinions from related authorities.