China Minmetals Corporation (China Minmetals) has adhered to the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits in its operations, and has been deeply involved in Belt and Road cooperation in recent years.
The company has emphasized the need to preserve the environment, improve people’s livelihoods and upgrade industries in its overseas projects. The “small yet smart” projects it initiated have demonstrated how Chinese enterprises achieve sustainable development and how China fulfills its responsibilities as a major country.
“Heart of Las Bambas” in Peru
In 2023, China Minmetals launched “the heart of Las Bambas” program at the mine of the same name in the Apurimac Region of Peru, which prioritizes social development, business growth, risk control and community engagement. In this way, the company transformed the conventional relations between mines and local communities — mines have to compensate residents — into win-win cooperation.
A panorama of Las Bambas Mine. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The program promoted the development of agriculture, forestry and business in local communities. Under the program, China Minmetals promoted advanced planting techniques to 2,540 households in 22 communities through training and sponsorship. It also introduced trial planting of high-altitude-adapted snow peas to optimize crop structures. It helped 34 communities plant more than 1.9 million trees and increased the incomes of local residents by teaching them to grow edible mushrooms. It also employed more than 150 transport vehicles from local enterprises for mining transportation services. This has helped transform communities from passive beneficiaries into value creators, supporting the long-term development of local businesses.
Planters show their snow pea crop. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
China Minmetals invested about 80 million yuan ($11.7 million) to build the Kutuctay Bridge, which benefited more than 50,000 people in the local communities. The company also provided assistance to local education sector, upgrading schools and conducting skills training programs.
The opening ceremony of the Kutuctay Bridge. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
Green and Inclusive Development in Papua New Guinea
Ramu Nico Management (MCC) Limited, a subsidiary of China Minmetals in Papua New Guinea, has emphasized environmental protection and poverty reduction in its projects to promote green development and boost common prosperity in local communities.
The Basamuk Refinery of the Ramu Nickel Project in Papua New Guinea. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
Ramu Nico Management (MCC) Limited has adopted independently developed high-pressure acid leaching and other advanced hydrometallurgical technologies to enable the green and efficient development of low-grade laterite nickel ore. In this way, it helped save energy of more than half a million metric tons of standard coal, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 1.55 million tons and realized zero discharge of mineral processing wastewater.
The company also introduced Juncao technology for mine reclamation, establishing more than 1,000 square meters of experimental planting areas. This has served as an example of combining environmental conservation with the improvement of people’s well-being.
Juncao is planted in Papua New Guinea. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The company invested more than 1.9 million yuan ($0.28 million) in 24 schools in the vicinity of the Ramu Nickel Project, in order to improve establishments and provide necessary supplies. It has spent about half a million yuan ($73,126) on installing a 9-kilometer water pipe from the Kurumbukari Mine, a part of the project, to the resettlement area of local residents, in order to ensure their water supply.
The company also worked with local associations to launch 48 business programs, providing more than 1,000 jobs and helping local women master handwork skills.
The settlement now has a stable water supply. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
Responsibilities in Africa
On the expansive African continent, China Minmetals emphasized both increasing production and improving communities, thereby achieving business growth and community prosperity at the same time.
A panorama of the Kinsevere Mine. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
China Minmetals built seven medical centers and clinics to improve the health conditions of the people living next to Kinsevere Mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The company cared about orphans and sponsored them in education and daily life. It pooled more than 10 million yuan ($1.46 million) to launch 33 community-level public welfare programs, benefitting more than 260,000 people.
Employees of Kinsevere Mine visit an orphanage. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The company built roads, water supply and healthcare infrastructures in the regions around the Khoemacau Copper Mine in the Kalahari Desert to address difficulties faced by local residents in their daily life. It invested about 7 million yuan ($1.02 million) annually to establish a special fund for community development through which local youths could get scholarships and internships. An annual cycling competition was held to raise one million yuan ($146,246) for a school in the Ngami community, thereby providing a safe, clean and comfortable learning environment for students.
An annual cycling competition around the Lake Ngami is held to raise funds for a local school. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
China Minmetals takes responsibilities and engages in win-win cooperation, thereby contributing its strength to promoting sustainable development and building a community with a shared future for humanity.
(Executive editor: Zuo Shihan)
