Mineral resources law

This chapter gives an overview of mineral resources and legislation associated with it in China. The basic legal principles of mineral resources law of China include: state ownership of mineral resources; rational exploitation and sustainable development; and attaching equal importance to mineral resources development and environment protection. The legal institutions such as the property system, mineral resources planning systems, the management system of mineral resources exploration, management system of mineral resources exploitation and the environment protection system in the process of mineral resources exploration all play an important role in the exploration, utilization, protection, and management of mineral resources. Violators will usually have administrative and criminal liability in the mineral resources affairs.