Major leaps! 10, 19, 200 million tonnes, 240 billion cubic meters

At 10:00 a.m. Beijing time on September 10, the State Council Information Office held a press conference titled "High-Quality Completion of the 14th Five-Year Plan" (2021-2025). Guan Zhiou, minister of Natural Resources and chief inspector of National Natural Resources, Sun Shuxian, vice minister of Natural Resources and director of the State Oceanic Administration; Zhuang Shaoqin, vice minister of Natural Resources; Xu Dachun, vice minister of Natural Resources and director of the China Geological Survey; and Liu Guohong, director of the National Forest and Grassland Administration (National Park Administration), jointly outlined achievements in the high-quality development of natural resources during the 14th Five-Year Plan and answered reporters' questions.

A series of significant achievements were highlighted at the conference, with mineral and energy exploration emerging as a key area of progress. According to the introduction, during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China made major breakthroughs in oil, gas, and uranium exploration. Specifically, 10 large oilfields and 19 large gas fields were confirmed. Deep formations in major basins and deep-water marine areas have become the main front for increasing oil and gas reserves and production: these areas have supported a steady annual crude oil output of 200 million tonnes and pushed natural gas production beyond 240 billion cubic meters. Additionally, several large uranium deposits have been newly identified, greatly strengthening the security of uranium resources — an essential material for clean energy development.

Beyond energy resources, China has also made comprehensive progress in protecting natural resources and ecological security. By the end of 2024, the national cultivated land area reached 1.94 billion mu (about 129.33 million hectares), an increase of 28 million mu compared to 2020. The country has thoroughly assessed the quantity, distribution, and development-utilization status of 163 mineral types with proven reserves, and identified 534 new large and medium-sized oil and gas fields and mineral deposits. The marine economy’s gross domestic product (GDP) reached 10.5 trillion yuan (approximately $1.46 trillion), an increase of 2.7 trillion yuan from 2020, strengthening China's position as one of the countries with the most complete marine industry systems. The national forest coverage rate rose to 25.09 percent, up roughly 2 percentage points from 2020.

In ecological protection and restoration, China has carried out 27 "integrated landscape, forest, farmland, grassland, and wetland restoration projects," covering more than 80 million mu. The Three-North Shelterbelt Program (a large-scale afforestation effort across northern, northeastern, and northwestern China) has completed 164 million mu of work. The first group of five national parks has integrated over 120 original nature reserves; for example, the number of wild Siberian tigers and Amur leopards in the Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park has increased to about 70 and 80, respectively.

Responding to a reporter's question about property rights reform, Zhuang Shaoqin noted that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China has actively explored solutions to address the "absence of owners" in natural resource management, focusing on clarifying property rights, advancing unified registration, and promoting the value realization of natural resources.

Sun Shuxian further discussed marine economic growth, saying that China's marine GDP exceeding 10 trillion yuan shows the country’s strong progress in creating a modern marine industry system, with strengths in sectors like marine transportation, offshore energy, and marine biotechnology.

Liu Guohong highlighted achievements in national park construction, stressing that China has essentially established the "four beams and eight pillars" of the national park system — achieving both comprehensive ecosystem protection and improvements in local residents' livelihoods. For example, community participation mechanisms in national parks have generated jobs in ecological protection and eco-tourism, promoting coordinated development of conservation and local economies.

As the 14th Five-Year Plan ends, these accomplishments in natural resources not only boost China's ability for sustainable development but also offer valuable lessons for balancing economic growth with ecological conservation, officials said.

(Cover via VCG)