In 1978, China set out to gain a stronger foothold in the global economy by reshaping its economic policies toward a more open investment climate. Over the four decades since theirintroduction, China’s reform and opening-up policies have transformedthe nation into a global powerhouse.

Today, the country is the world’s second-largest economy, largest manufacturing nation and a major force in the global resource industry. With a population of 1.3 billion people and an extensive industrialization and infrastructure development program, China leads the world in the consumption of metals and minerals. Around 40 percent of resources mined around the world eventually end up in China.

The adoption of the initial Mineral Resources Law in 1986 and the opening of the market to private investors have bothled to the modernization of China’s domestic mining industry over the last 30years. China is now a major producer of more than 20 of the world’s most important resource commodities, including coal, gold and most rare earths. China’s mineral reserves are diverse and extensive, consisting of the largest portion of global reserves for molybdenum, titanium, tungsten and rare earths.

In November 2015, the government of China released its 13th five-year plan (2016-2020) for the economy, which underscores a transition from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based economy. In its annual review on global trends in the mining industry, PwC reports that although this transition will decrease China’s demand for raw commodities, China will continue to be a major player in the global mining industry.

Mr. Yikang Liu, a former deputy general secretary of the China Mining Association and former vice-chairman of the Geological Society of China, has confirmed that sentiment. He told the Investing News Network that although China is completing the industrialization phase of its economic build out, mining will continue to play a critical role in the nation’s economy.

The total consumption for minerals will still be very large. Many minerals, such as iron ore, will soon cross the highest consumption point. In China’s economy, the important status of mining will not change, said Mr. Liu, who was the chief geologist for the former Ministry of Metallurgical Industry of China, where he made significant contributions to China’s most current (1997) Mineral Resources Law.

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Foreign investment welcome in China’s mining sector

Since the launch of the reform and opening-up economic policies in 1978, China has attracted more than $1.7 trillion in foreign investment. The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada says that China has become one of the top three destinations for foreign investment since 2008, with a total inward foreign investment of US$126 [billion] in 2016.

China first allowed foreign investment in resource exploration and mining in 1993