To the natural resources authorities of Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Xinjiang, and other provinces (autonomous regions):
In order to protect and rationally develop advantageous mineral resources, and in accordance with the relevant regulations on the protective mining management of specific minerals, the following notice is hereby issued regarding the total mining control for rare earth ores and tungsten ores in 2023.
1. The national total mining control quota for tungsten concentrate (with a 65% WO3 content, the same hereinafter) in 2023 is 111,000 mt. This quota includes the first batch of quotas issued under the "Notice of the Ministry of Natural Resources on the Total Mining Control of Rare Earth Ores and Tungsten Ores and the First Batch of Quotas for 2023" (Natural Resources Development [2023] No. 48). The allocation for each province (autonomous region) is detailed in the annex.
2. The total mining control quota for tungsten ores will no longer distinguish between primary mining quotas and comprehensive utilisation quotas. For mines with mining licenses registered for primary mining of other minerals and associated tungsten ores, where the identified tungsten resource is medium or large-scale, total mining control quotas will continue to be issued with preferential allocation. For associated tungsten resources of small-scale, no total mining control quotas will be issued, and mining enterprises shall report tungsten concentrate production to the provincial natural resources authorities where they are located. Provincial natural resources authorities should refine measures and ensure proper statistical compilation.
3. Relevant provincial (autonomous region) natural resources authorities must strictly comply with the regulations and complete the decomposition and issuance of tungsten ore total mining control quotas within 10 working days of the issuance of this notice.
4. The total mining control quotas for rare earth ores have already been issued through the "Notice of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Natural Resources on Issuing the Second Batch of Total Mining and Smelting and Separation Control Quotas for Rare Earths in 2023" (MIIT Joint Resources [2023] No. 159). Each rare earth group is requested to decompose the quotas to their subordinate mining enterprises and report to the provincial natural resources authorities where the mines are located.
5. Provincial natural resources authorities shall organize municipal and county-level natural resources authorities in the locations of the mines to sign responsibility agreements for the implementation of total mining quotas with mining enterprises, clarifying rights, obligations, and liabilities for breaches. Municipal and county-level natural resources authorities shall strengthen collaboration with tax, industry, and information technology departments to promptly identify and rectify any concealment or underreporting of production.
6. Relevant provincial natural resources authorities and rare earth enterprise groups shall accurately compile statistics on the actual production of mining enterprises (including small-scale associated tungsten mines without issued quotas) and report the decomposition and implementation of annual quotas to the Mining Rights Management Department of the Ministry by the end of January 2024.
7. By the end of December 2024, except for the conversion of existing exploration rights to mining rights and the agreement-based transfer of deep and upper parts of existing mining rights, the registration and transfer of tungsten mining rights shall be suspended.
Ministry of Natural Resources
September 25, 2023
