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Western China's metals potential
stressed
XINING - The
western part of China is an area of great
potential for developing nonferrous metals
resources, observed Kang Yi, chairman of the China
Association of Nonferrous Metals, at the third
International Forum of Development of Nonferrous
Metals and Minerals in Western China, held in
Xining, the capital city of northwestern Qinghai
Province on August 17.
The western region,
which includes 12 provinces and regions covering
6.867 million square meters or 71.45% of the
nations total land area, boasts ample reserves of
mineral resources and a full range of mineral
varieties. The country's 170-plus kinds of mineral
resources all can be found in the west, and 130
types are present in commercially significant
quantities. The area is an important mineral
resource base for China, with reserves accounting
for more than half of the nation's total.
Last year, China's nonferrous metal
enterprises made fixed assets investments of 60.75
billion yuan (US$7.5 billion), of which, 22.66
billion yuan, or 37.3%, was placed in the western
area. The production of 10 kinds of nonferrous
metals in 12 western provinces and regions grew
12.78% in 2004, 0.31 percentage points higher than
the national average.
The west is also an
important area to ensure the supply of nonferrous
metal minerals, said Kang, adding that the region
is home to the countrys several major nonferrous
metal metallogenic belts. Geological surveys show
that large copper mineral deposits have been found
in eastern Tianshan Mountain with 4.26 million
tons of copper resources, and a batch of large and
midsize copper, lead, zinc and silver mineral
deposits found in Yunnan province, with copper
resources of 3.4 million tons and lead and zinc
resources of 10 million tons.
To tap the
area's development potential in nonferrous metals,
the most pressing matter at the moment is to
devote more resources to geological surveys and
mineral prospecting, Kang stressed. The
prospecting and exploitation of nonferrous metal
minerals has been sluggish in the area in past
years, due to insufficient investment. So, the
authorities should formulate preferential policies
to encourage enterprises and social capital to
join in the mineral prospecting and exploitation
fields, Kang added.
(Asia
Pulse/XIC) |
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