China Central Television (CCTV) has reported the discovery of massive copper reserves in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, often referred to as the “Roof of the World.” The plateau spans the western Qinghai Province and the southwestern Tibet Autonomous Region, and more than 20 million tons of copper mines were recently discovered there.
The Qinghai-Tibet plateau includes four major copper resource bases: Yulong, Duolong, Jiulong-Jiama, and Xiongcun-Zhuno. Its estimated total resource capacity is 150 million tons. These abundant reserves suggest that the plateau could become a global copper resource base.
According to a report released by China’s Ministry of Natural Resources last year, the country’s total copper reserves reached around 4,647,900 tons. The discovery of new copper reserves is expected to substantially bolster China’s domestic copper supply, reducing its reliance on imports.
Tang Juxing, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, described copper as a key metal, noting that it is “essential for the development and utilization of green energy.” As demand for copper is increasing in various fields, including solar energy, wind power, and new energy vehicles, he emphasized that these resource bases play a vital role in China’s industrial and supply chain security.
In a related development, CCTV also reported that an additional 3.65 million tons of copper were found in a new deep exploration at Duobaoshan, Heilongjiang Province, in northeastern China. This discovery is a positive contribution to China’s prediction of copper resources.
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