(TibetanReview.net, Jan04’26) – One of the main drivers of China’s top mining company’s output growth target for the coming years is the expansion of the Julong copper mine in Tibet, reported newsable.asianetnews.com Jan 3. The company, the Zijin Mining Group, has grown into one of the main instruments through which China is securing gold and copper across Asia and Africa, the report said.
From Tibet to Ghana, the company’s expansion is tightening Beijing’s hold over key mineral supply chains and countries with limited bargaining power. Behind record profits and ambitious production targets is a clear effort to turn resource extraction into long-term political and strategic leverage, the report said.
Apart from copper, the Julong mine – which is located in Maldrogungkar (Chinese: Mozhugongka) County of Lhasa City – contains a significant amount of molybdenum, a good amount of silver, and a small amount of gold as a byproduct. China operates a number of such mines across Tibet.
Large-scale mining is further tightening Beijing’s grip on the region, turning the plateau into an extraction zone, sidelining local communities and placing additional pressure on a fragile, high-altitude environment, the report said.
Paying only lip service to environmental concerns, China brutally represses local Tibetans who complain or protest over loss of their land and toxic pollution, often associating their actions with separatism as a way to silence them.
The company is planning another round of growth in 2026, including especially by expanding the Julong mine. It is targeting 105 tonnes of mined gold and 1.2 million tonnes of copper, increases of 17% and 10% year on year.
The report noted that copper mining on this scale carries serious risks. The Tibetan plateau is the source of major Asian river systems. Pollution or disruption affects not only local areas but also downstream populations far beyond China’s borders. Rivers linked to the Brahmaputra and Mekong support millions of people in India, Bangladesh, and Southeast Asia. Despite this, mining projects are pushed forward under the language of development and the so-called green transition.
The report further said that at the Julong mine, the environmental impact was already visible. Large-scale extraction has accelerated ecological damage on the Himalayan plateau. Toxic tailings threaten river systems that flow into South and Southeast Asia. Mining emissions add to glacier melt, worsening climate risks in a region already under stress. Deforestation and habitat loss are driving biodiversity decline in one of Asia’s most sensitive ecosystems. This pattern of state-backed extraction normalises control, exports environmental harm, and weakens regional sovereignty.
Zijin’s expansion of production goes beyond commercial logic, for both copper and gold are strategic commodities. Copper is essential for defence electronics, power grids and infrastructure tied to energy transition goals. Gold remains a core component of financial reserves and a hedge against sanctions. By pushing toward 1.2 million tonnes of copper output and rapidly scaling gold production, Zijin strengthens China’s position in any future economic or geopolitical confrontation where access to materials becomes leverage, the report said.