Rare earth resources Photo: VCG

　　Northwest China"s Gansu Province has significantly strengthened its mineral resource base status by identifying 151 types of minerals and verifying resource reserves for 105 of them, according to a report by the China News Service, citing a senior provincial official.

　　Wang Xu, vice governor of Gansu, introduced the data at a press conference on Tuesday, noting that Gansu, widely known as China"s "hometown of nonferrous metals," ranks first nationwide in reserves of 13 minerals, including nickel, platinum, palladium, and ruthenium. In addition, 51 types of mineral resources in the province rank among the top five in China.

　　Gansu has been intensifying a new round of strategic mineral exploration breakthroughs in recent years, accelerating the conversion of resource advantages into economic strength and development momentum, Wang said.

　　During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, Gansu invested 5.565 billion yuan ($814.75 million) in mineral exploration, leading to the discovery of a hundred-million-ton-level oilfield, a super-large uranium deposit, and 35 medium-sized to large mineral sites including antimony, gold, and magnesium dolomite.

　　In terms of the commercialization of exploration results, the province transferred 755 mining rights during the period, with a total transaction value of 61.656 billion yuan, driving more than 100 billion yuan in investment and generating more than 300 billion yuan in new industrial output, officials said during the conference.