mineral resources

On June 15, 2026, the State Council Order No. 839 "Regulations on the Implementation of the Mineral Resources Law" was officially implemented, and the six old regulations were simultaneously abolished.

1. Six old regulations will be abolished simultaneously

Six administrative regulations including the "Details for the Implementation of the Mineral Resources Law" (State Council Order No. 152 in 1994), the "Measures for the Registration and Management of Mineral Resources Exploration Blocks", the "Measures for the Registration and Management of Mineral Resources Exploitation", and the "Measures for the Management of the Transfer of Exploration and Mining Rights" were abolished at the same time.

2. Major adjustments to the term of exploration rights and mining rights

According to Articles 16 and 17 of the new regulations:

1.Exploration right period: The initial establishment period is up to 4 years, the extension period is up to 2 years each time, and the total period does not exceed 8 years.

2.Mining rights term: Determined according to the size of the mining area, the longest period for large mines is 20 years

3. Tightening of control over strategic minerals

Implement hierarchical control over 36 strategic minerals. Class I strategic minerals (rare earths, tungsten, lithium, etc.) are prohibited from foreign investment, and private enterprises need to pay special attention.

4. Transition period arrangements

There will be a 6-month transition period after the implementation of the new regulations. Enterprises need to focus on: verification of the validity period of mineral rights, sorting out strategic mineral rights, review of mortgage financing contracts, and self-inspection of land use compliance.