China to face serious shortage of key minerals

In an exclusive interview with China’s official state news agency, Xinhua, Chinese Minister of Land and Resources Xu Shaoshi reported that China will face a serious shortage of mineral resources by 2020 as it consumes larger quantities of minerals to promote industrialization, urbanization and agricultural modernization.

“The county’s consumption [of mineral resources] has grown faster than its production, while the expansion of production has outpaced the exploration,” Xu said. “That partly explains why there has been a shortage.” The country is already running short on 11 minerals critical to the nation’s economy.