China vows to protect 1.8 bln mu of farmland, launch new mineral exploration campaign during 15th Five-Year Plan

BEIJING, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) — How to safeguard the red line for farmland, implement a new round of strategic mineral exploration, and enable the public to enjoy both a beautiful environment and economic benefits? These key questions were addressed at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on September 22, as part of the "Starting the 15th Five-Year Plan" series. Officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources briefed the media on the protection and utilization of natural resources during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period.

How to Secure the Farmland Protection Red Line

"We will advance the 'three-in-one' approach to protect the quantity, quality, and ecology of farmland, firmly守住 the 180-million-mu (approximately 12 million hectares) red line, and solidify the foundation of food security," said Liu Guohong, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Chief Inspector of Natural Resources. He outlined three key measures:

• Stabilize quantity: Strictly control land occupation and ensure full replenishment.
• Optimize structure: Improve farmland quality and enhance farmland ecology.
• Strengthen supervision: Implement "tough" measures to maintain orderly farmland use.

The Farmland Protection and Quality Improvement Law, the first dedicated legislation in this field, will take effect on January 1, 2025. Liu Guohong stated that efforts will be made to actively promote the implementation of the law, strictly assess the fulfillment of responsibilities for farmland protection and food security, improve incentive and constraint mechanisms, and ensure that both Party and government officials are held accountable.

Balancing the red line with development needs, Liu noted that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the focus will be on improving resource allocation efficiency. This includes optimizing new land supply by establishing a coordination mechanism between new urban construction land quotas and the increase in permanent residents, allowing advantageous regions more room for growth. Additionally, efforts will be made to revitalize existing land stock through spatial planning optimization and land policy innovation to support urban renewal and comprehensive land consolidation.

New Breakthroughs in Strategic Mineral Exploration

Mineral resources are often referred to as the "grain" and "blood" of industry. Zhou Xing, Vice Minister of Natural Resources, stated that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, China will continue implementing a new round of strategic mineral exploration to provide strong support for the development of advanced manufacturing. Key measures include:

• Prioritize geological surveys: Implement a national geological mapping plan to gain a clear understanding of resource and energy reserves.
• Launch large-scale exploration campaigns: Focus on scarce minerals such as oil, iron, copper, and aluminum, while also attending to advantageous minerals like rare earths. The goal is to discover a number of new large and medium-sized mineral deposits and oil and gas fields, significantly increasing China's self-sufficiency rate in strategic mineral resources.

Zhou Xing also emphasized strengthening technological innovation to achieve incremental breakthroughs, deepening innovation in exploration theories, technologies, and equipment, and increasing the application of artificial intelligence to tap into deep earth and vast ocean resources. Efforts will also be made to revitalize existing stock, turning valuable mineral resources into "treasure" and utilizing them fully.

Broadening the Path for "Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains" to Become "Gold and Silver"

With steady improvements in forest coverage and a greener, more beautiful environment, how can the public further benefit economically from ecological assets?

"We will continue to strengthen resource-based industries and expand channels for employment and income growth," said Liu Guohong. He stressed the need for integrated protection and systematic management of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, grasslands, and deserts. This includes completing the integration and optimization of protected areas, implementing major ecological projects, and coordinating the protection and restoration of forests, grasslands, wetlands, deserts, and marine ecosystems. The goal is to promote ecological industrialization and industrial ecology, broadening the path for transforming ecological assets into economic benefits, so that the public can enjoy both a beautiful environment and tangible economic gains.

Yan Zhen, Deputy Director of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (National Park Administration), stated that efforts will focus on both protecting the ecological environment and activating its economic value. Key targets include:

• Win the "Three-North" Shelterbelt Project campaign.
• Expand employment and income opportunities in forestry and grassland industries.
• Strengthen fire and pest prevention measures.

By 2030, China aims to achieve:

• National forest coverage rate: 25.8%
• Forest stock volume: 22.4 billion cubic meters
• Comprehensive grassland vegetation coverage: approximately 51%
• Land area of national parks and other protected areas: stable at 18% of the national territory
• Total output value of forestry and grassland industries: 14 trillion yuan

These efforts aim to continuously enhance the "green content" and "gold content" of high-quality forestry and grassland development.

Unleashing New Momentum in Resource Industries

With the rapid rise of emerging industries such as intelligent driving, marine pharmaceuticals, and forest-based health and wellness, China will coordinate land, sea, and air resources during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period to unleash new momentum in resource industries.

Liu Guohong said that while promoting the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries such as fisheries, shipbuilding, oil and gas exploration, and tourism, China will vigorously develop new marine productive forces. Specific targets include:

• Marine biomedical industry: Added value to exceed 130 billion yuan by 2030.
• Offshore wind power: Installed capacity to double, reaching 100 million kilowatts.

At the same time, China will organize scientific and technological research in key areas such as deep sea and polar regions, breaking through a number of core technologies.

In the forestry and grassland sector, efforts will be made to promote new business models such as eco-tourism and forest-based health and wellness, explore the construction of modern pasturelands, and further amplify the comprehensive benefits of forestry and grassland industries in stabilizing employment, increasing income, and supporting rural revitalization.

The geographic information industry, a strategic emerging sector, now hosts 270,000 enterprises. Zhou Xing noted that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, China will deepen the application of 3D real-scene China and spatiotemporal intelligence technology. This includes promoting the authorized operation of public data resources such as satellite navigation and positioning reference station networks and the "Tianditu" (Map World) platform, accelerating the release of the value of geographic information data elements, advancing the large-scale application of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, and empowering the digital and intelligent transformation of traditional industries. These efforts will better support the development of emerging and future industries such as intelligent driving, the low-altitude economy, and embodied intelligence.