I. China's Dominant Position in Graphite Resources and Production
1. **Reserve Advantage**
China is one of the countries with the richest graphite resources in the world. In 2023, the global total reserves of graphite were approximately 280 million tons, with China leading at 78 million tons (accounting for 27.86%), far exceeding countries like Brazil and Madagascar. Moreover, China is the only country that possesses both crystalline graphite (flake graphite) and amorphous graphite (amorphous graphite) resources, covering all industrial demands in terms of resource types.
2. **Output and Export Dominance**
In 2023, the global graphite production was 1.6 million tons, with China contributing 1.23 million tons (accounting for 76.87%), far exceeding the total production of all other countries combined.
China has long dominated the global graphite trade. In 2022, its export volume accounted for 56.45% of the global total. It mainly exports high-value flake graphite to advanced manufacturing countries such as South Korea, Japan, and Germany.
II. Technological Breakthroughs and Development of High-Value-Added Products
1. Leading in purification and deep processing technologies
China has made remarkable progress in the research and development of high-purity graphite, graphene and other fields. For instance, China Minmetals Corporation has successfully developed ultra-high-purity graphite with a purity of 99.99995%, breaking the foreign technological monopoly and providing key materials for cutting-edge fields such as semiconductors and nuclear industry. In addition, technologies such as spherical graphite and lithium battery anode materials have been industrialized, supporting the development of the global new energy industry.
2. **Upgrading the Industrial Chain and Policy Support**
China is promoting the transformation of its graphite industry towards high-quality development through policy measures. For instance, Heilongjiang Province has set a target for the graphite industry's revenue to exceed 50 billion yuan by 2026, and is building two major deep processing bases in Jixi and Hegang. Additionally, a graphite purification and processing center has been established to enhance global competitiveness.
III. The Critical Position of the Global Supply Chain
Support strategic emerging industries
Graphite is widely used in new energy batteries (such as anode materials for lithium batteries), aerospace, nuclear energy, semiconductors and other fields. As the world's largest supplier of graphite, China directly affects the supply chain security of industries such as electric vehicles and electronic devices. For instance, the US ban on car manufacturers using Chinese graphite in 2024 indirectly confirms its concerns over its reliance on China.
2. International Competition and Resource Scramble
The European Union, the United States, Japan and other countries have listed graphite as a critical mineral and adopted policies to reduce their reliance on China (such as the US New Minerals Resources Security Act), but it is difficult to replace China's dominant position in the short term. Although the newly discovered graphite resources in Africa may change the global layout, China's advantages in deep processing technology and industrial chain integration are still hard to shake.
IV. Challenges and Future Development Directions
Pressure for industrial upgrading
Although China has an advantage in the field of primary products, it still relies on imports for high-end products such as ultra-high-purity graphite and nuclear-grade graphite. It is necessary to break through the bottleneck through technological innovation, such as the high-temperature purification technology of Minmetals Group, to increase the added value of products.
2. Greening and Internationalization Layout
China is promoting the development of the graphite industry towards green and digitalization, and is expanding diversified markets through the Belt and Road Initiative to reduce reliance on a single market. At the same time, it is participating in the formulation of international standards to enhance its global voice.
China is not only the "reservoir" and "production engine" of global graphite resources, but also the core driving force for technological upgrading and industrial chain reshaping. Its significance lies not only in the supply volume, but also in the strategic support for future industries such as new energy and high-end manufacturing. Despite facing international competition and challenges in industrial upgrading, China is gradually transforming from a "resource power" to a "technology power" through technological innovation and policy guidance, continuously consolidating its leading position in the global graphite industry.
