Key Points:
- China discovered 13 huge oil fields, each with more than 100 million tonnes of reserves, over the last five years.
- Energy companies poured almost 450 billion yuan into oil and gas exploration between 2021 and 2025.
- The nation now holds the number-one global rank for 14 essential minerals, including rare earths and tungsten.
- Private capital drove this boom, making up over 85% of the massive 500 billion yuan investment in strategic minerals.
China just achieved a massive milestone in its quest for energy security. Over the past five years, the country has launched an aggressive state-led exploration campaign to find new natural resources. This push uncovered 13 massive new oil fields. Each of these fields holds more than 100 million tonnes of oil reserves. The Ministry of Natural Resources shared these impressive findings with the public during a press conference on Wednesday.
Between 2021 and 2025, China set new records for oil and gas exploration. Xiong Zili, the head of exploration management at the ministry, explained the financial scale of this national effort. Total investment in the energy sector reached nearly 450 billion yuan over these five years. Energy companies used this money to scour the country for completely untapped resources.
Explorers did not just look for crude oil. They also discovered 26 massive gas fields. Every single one of these fields contains more than 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Because of these rapid discoveries, China saw its newly proven oil reserves jump by 51.7% compared with the previous five years. Hydrocarbon natural gas reserves also shot up by an impressive 44.2%.
To hit these big numbers, drilling engineers had to get creative. Unconventional drilling methods became a critical engine for this rapid growth. Drillers specifically targeted deep coal-bed methane. This specific technique added over 1 trillion cubic meters in new proven reserves. This single addition exceeds the historical total for all shallower deposits combined.
Shale oil also proved its immense value during 2025. Niu Li, the deputy head of exploration management, broke down the specific numbers for reporters. Shale oil accounted for 38% of the total new oil reserves found that year. Drillers successfully extracted this valuable resource from eight fields across five major basins within the country.
Finding the oil is only half the battle. China also managed to pump a record amount of crude oil directly out of the ground. In 2025, the country reached a historic output of 216 million tonnes of crude oil. Natural gas production also broke past previous barriers, surpassing a massive 260 billion cubic meters for the year.
The massive exploration campaign extended far beyond just gas and oil. The government also heavily targeted strategic minerals to secure China’s dominant position in global supply chains. Mining companies aggressively searched for the raw materials needed for modern electronics, electric vehicles, and green technology.
Today, China ranks first globally in total reserves for 14 different crucial minerals. Xiong noted that this list includes highly sought-after materials like rare earths, tungsten, and gallium. The country also secured a top-four global position for nine other essential resources, including coal and lithium.
Having these raw materials naturally feeds into the country’s massive processing industry. Chinese factories currently produce 99% of all manganese products used worldwide. They also manufacture a staggering 94% of the world’s rare earth products. These processed materials power everything from smartphone batteries to advanced military equipment.
Xiong credited market-oriented reforms for making this success possible. The government changed the rules to encourage more private spending in the resource sector. This strategy worked perfectly, unleashing nearly 500 billion yuan in total exploration investment. Private investors provided over 85% of that massive financial sum.
Bureaucrats also helped the cause by stepping out of the way. The government streamlined its approval processes to let companies start digging faster. They mandated competitive public auctions to fairly award mining rights to the highest bidders. During this period, the state issued a record 1,868 exploration rights specifically for strategic minerals.
Looking ahead, advanced technology will continue to drive the next phase of this campaign. Engineers recently achieved breakthroughs that allow them to push into ultra-deep underground spaces and deep-sea territories. These new capabilities effectively expand the nation’s resource map. The government expects these tools to set the stage for even more discoveries as the exploration campaign continues through the year 2030.
