(TibetanReview.net, Jun21’23) – Chinese geologists have recently discovered huge potential reserves of rare earth minerals in the Himalayas that could significantly strengthen China’s position as the leading global supplier, reported the scmp.com Jun 21. Believed to exist along a more than 1,000km (600 miles) long belt, the deposits are believed to exist in such a vast, remote area that it could take years, if not decades to locate them. It raises the possibility that deposits may also be located in territories claimed by India as well as within India.
The report noted that a further headache is caused by the location of the deposits – along the southern border of occupied Tibet, where China has a long-standing territorial dispute with India.
Chinese government geologists have said that the quicker the country can pinpoint the deposits, the more “strategic advantages” it will have.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is seen as likely to help China try to achieve that. Since 2020, with financial support from the central government, a research team has been building AI that can automatically process nearly all raw data collected by satellites and other means to locate the rare earth deposit on the Tibetan plateau, the report said.
It cited the scientists from the State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources in the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan as saying the machine had achieved an accuracy rate of 96%.
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What adds urgency to the need to speed up the location and extraction of the minerals is that “China’s demand for bulk mineral resources such as iron, copper, aluminium, coal, and cement that support industrialisation and urbanisation is expected to sharply decline in the next 15 to 20 years. The focus of mining will mainly shift to rare earths,” professor Zuo Renguang, the project’s lead scientist, was stated to have written in a peer-reviewed paper published in Chinese-language journal Earth Science Frontiers last week.
“Rare earth metals are irreplaceable in emerging industries such as new materials, new energy, defence and military technology, and information technology, making them a key strategic mineral resource in global competition.”
The Chinese geologists were stated to have found granite forms all over the place in the Himalayas, including around Mount Everest, that may contain rare earths such as niobium and tantalum, which are highly sought after for hi-tech products, and also significant amounts of lithium, which is vital for making electric cars. Until recently the area was not believed to contain any mineable materials.
China currently has a major rare earth production base in Inner Mongolia, and others scattered further south in provinces such as Guangdong, Jiangxi and Sichuan. But scientists now believe the rare earth reserve in the Himalayas could be equal to, if not bigger than these and may even help China re-establish its position in the global market, the report said.
While AI could be used immediately in the field, Zuo and his colleagues still have to overcome a further problem. They have written in their paper that the way the machine chose locations “cannot be explained” and they did not feel comfortable trusting its decisions until they can understand the rationale behind them.
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Mineral resources within the Himalayan rare earth belt have not only economic value but also strategic implications due to their potential impact on regional dynamics and resource competition, the report cited a study by researchers with the China Geological Survey as saying last year.
“The Himalayan mineralisation belt is located in the southern part of China’s Tibet region and extends into countries such as India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Therefore, the mineral resources within this belt not only have economic significance but also, to some extent, possess strategic importance,” the government study was quoted as saying.
While the study did not further discuss the strategic importance of the discoveries, it is worth noting that the extraction and processing of rare earth and lithium minerals requires the establishment of geostrategically sensitive infrastructure such as roads and power supply, the report said.
Besides, the development of rare earth and lithium resources could also contribute to the economic growth, which in turn could increase the population of the area.
Also, a Beijing-based researcher requesting anonymity has said a “rare earth rush” could increase the risk of geopolitical conflict – particularly with India – due to territorial disputes and environmental concerns.