Qinghais salt lake sector is increasingly important to Chinas battery, fertilizer and strategic minerals supply chains, while the province also faces natural-disaster risks linked to its plateau geography. Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing reviewed both areas during a three-day visit to the region this week, emphasizing dual priorities of industrial upgrading and disaster preparedness.
Zhang inspected companies including Qinghai Salt Lake Magnesium Industry, potash and lithium battery producers, and the Western Mining smart control centre to review production, research, and industrial development. He said the region should balance resource development with environmental protection and pursue low-carbon circular growth to strengthen competitiveness in global markets. Moving up the value chain is critical for long-term sustainability of the industry.
The Vice Premier also called for advancing deep processing of salt lake resources, non-ferrous metal smelting, and new materials as part of efforts to push industrial chains toward higher value-added segments. He urged greater investment in core and common technology research, and promoted digital transformation of production processes to reduce consumption and emissions. Chinas dominance in global lithium processing is a key strategic asset for electric vehicle supply chains and energy transition goals.
Zhang visited the Xining Emergency Evacuation Centre and the Qinghai Earthquake Early Warning Centre to review disaster monitoring and prevention work. He stressed the importance of pre-disaster preparation, including strengthened monitoring and early warning systems, particularly for mountain torrents and geological disasters during high-risk nighttime heavy rainfall periods. Community-level readiness remains a critical focus for the province.
He called for concrete guidance on disaster response at the community level, detailed evacuation plans, and professional training for local officials and public education campaigns. The Vice Premier also emphasized the need to pre-position professional rescue teams, optimize relief supply distribution, and improve rescue capabilities for extreme conditions including high-altitude and cold-weather environments.
Qinghai Province, located on the Tibetan Plateau, is home to the Qarhan Salt Lake — one of the largest salt lake deposits globally and a significant source of lithium, potassium, and magnesium resources used in batteries and fertilizers. The province is also seismically active, having experienced several moderate earthquakes in recent years, including a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in December 2023.
The inspection comes as Beijing places greater emphasis on strategic resource security and emergency-response capacity during the 15th Five-Year Plan period to strengthen supply chains and improve emergency management systems across China. Both topics align with national priorities for technological self-reliance and disaster resilience amid growing climate risks and geopolitical tensions.
Sources: Xinhua, gov.cn, SCIO. Image Source: Wikipedia.
