China has announced significant discoveries of high-purity quartz deposits, a critical component in the production of semiconductors and solar panels.
The discovery, disclosed by China’s Ministry of Natural Resources on April 10, underscores Beijing’s strategic efforts to reduce its reliance on U.S.-dominated mineral supplies amid an intensifying trade conflict between the world’s two largest economies.
High-purity quartz is essential in the creation of the ultra-refined polysilicon wafers, a core element in both the solar and semiconductor sectors.
Currently, the global supply predominantly comes from two mines in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, which contribute over 80% of the world’s commercial high-purity quartz, according to BloombergNEF.
State-backed Xinhua News Service lauded the discovery for its potential to strengthen the Chinese high-tech industry’s supply chain security.
The deposits, found in Henan province in December 2020 and Xinjiang province in October 2021, mark a pivotal move by China to minimize strategic vulnerabilities in its mineral supply chains. However, details on the deposits’ size or the resources needed for their development have not been disclosed.
