Foreign Investors Welcomed to Explore Minerals: MinisterForeign investors are more than welcome to join hands with Chinese enterprises to explore minerals in China, Minister of Land and Resources Tian Fengshan said Thursday at an international seminar on China's mining industry.Tian said China is home to rich resources, and a number of overseas mining businesses are currently operating here mainly in the fields of petroleum, natural gas, coal-bed gas, terrestrial heat, gold, diamond, copper, lead, zinc and stones. The rising domestic demand means big market potential, Tian said, "and petroleum, ore of iron and copper are in bad need in particular." However, he said, China's mining industry development should be coordinated with environmental protection, which seems to be the country's weakness. He hoped the foreign mining industry would help China in this arena. Shou Jiahua, Tian's deputy, promised that in the next five to ten years, the ministry will improve the way China operates its mining industry, upgrade the investment environment, and do a better job in assessment of prospecting projects to meet the commitments China has made to the World Trade Organization. She also said that the country will shift its base of mineral resources development to western region, which stores more than half of the country's total resources. Seminar on New Materials Development EndsThe four-day national seminar on the development of China's new materials sector in the 21st century closed in Xi'an, this capital city of northwest China's Shaanxi Province Thursday.Over 50 scholars and 200 new materials specialists focused on the latest achievements in new materials development and policies in the industry. New materials is one of the three pillars in scientific development together with information and energy technology. It serves as the basis in new and high-tech development. |
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