Mr. Tang Fuping, China Minmetals’ Chairman and Party Group Secretary, held a meeting with Mr. Hu Changsheng, Deputy Secretary of the Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee and Governor of Heilongjiang Province on June 3. The two sides had in-depth exchanges on accelerating the graphite industry projects and deepening strategic cooperation.

Mr. Tang made a brief introduction to the achievements of China Minmetals’ reform and development in the 13th Five-Year Plan and its good start in the 14th Five-Year Plan. He noted that during the 13th Five-Year Plan, China Minmetals constructed and consolidated the business system featured by “four beams and eight columns” by focusing on metal ore, metallurgical engineering, trade and logistics, as well as finance and the real estate. In 2020, China Minmetals’ operating income exceeded RMB 700 billion, with a substantial increase in total profits and operating efficiency at a record high, bringing a successful conclusion of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. In the first quarter of this year, China Minmetals reached new highs in main operating indicators, making a good start in the first quarter of the first year of the 14th Five-Year Plan.

Mr. Tang extended his gratitude to the Heilongjiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and Heilongjiang Provincial People's Government for their support to the development of China Minmetals and its affiliates. He said that the graphite industry had bright development prospects since graphite was a national strategic resource. He also noted that in the early stage, China Minmetals completed the integration of graphite resources in Yunshan graphite mine, Hegang City, where China Minmetals achieved the “extensive exploitation of a large mine” and more intensified and larger-scale resource development, promoting win-win cooperation in the upstream and downstream ecosystems. He pointed out that in the next step, China Minmetals would build the graphite industry projects in Heilongjiang from a high starting point and against high standards. To this end, he said that China Minmetals would enhance the research and development of key technologies, accelerate the construction of industrial projects, and continue to extend the graphite industry chain. It was hoped that both sides would strengthen cooperation in new energy and new materials, urban infrastructure construction, and other fields, in which case, China Minmetals would make greater contributions to the resource development and utilization, industrial structure adjustment, and sustainable development in Heilongjiang Province.

Mr. Hu extended his gratitude to China Minmetals for giving full play to its advantages and actively supporting the revitalization of Heilongjiang Province. He pointed out that since the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement between Heilongjiang Province and China Minmetals in 2019, the two sides had seen progress in cooperation. He indicated that China Minmetals, by adhering to green, safe, and sustainable development, actively fulfilled the social responsibility as a central state-owned enterprise. He also gave high praise to China Minmetals for the fact that despite of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, China Minmetals completed the integration of graphite resources in Luobei Yunshan, Hegang City, formed a mine of single-crystalline graphite with the world’s largest resource reserve, and achieved remarkable results in various tasks. He hoped that China Minmetals would continue to focus on advantageous areas, put efforts in accelerating the extension of the industry chain of new graphite materials. He also wished that the two sides could jointly explore and expand cooperation in trade and logistics, financial services, and high-end and advanced manufacturing, and organically connect China Minmetals’ investment capabilities with Heilongjiang’s resource advantages to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results. In the end, he, acting in his capacity said that Heilongjiang would consistently support China Minmetals’ development in Heilongjiang and create favorable conditions for China Minmetals to accelerate project implementation, expand business areas, and promote technological innovation.

The two sides also had in-depth exchanges on issues of common concern.

Xu Jianguo, Vice Governor of Heilongjiang Province, and Liu Mingzhong, Chairman of China First Heavy Industries (CFHI), attended the meeting. Other participants included heads of competent departments of Heilongjiang Province including Wang Dongguang, Zhang Yazhong, Zhang Xianfeng, Gao Dawei, E Zhongqi, Kang Hanqing, Zhao Zhongchao, Li Hongguo and Xu Chuanhui; Executive of CFHI, Lu Wenjun; and leaders from China Minmetals and its directly-managed enterprises including Wang Jionghui, Liu Lijun, Wang Chengsi and Chen Daogui.