Meeting China’s Global Resource Needs

The report identifies China as highly vulnerable to copper supply disruptions due to its heavy reliance on imports, particularly from Chile, Australia, and Peru. It highlights significant sustainability risks associated with copper mining, including high greenhouse gas emissions, energy intensity, and social conflicts. To mitigate these risks, the document recommends that the Chinese government strengthen the capacity of its embassies, engage with international sustainability standards, explore fiscal incentives, and integrate green procurement criteria into public policy.

• China is extremely dependent on copper imports to meet domestic manufacturing needs, with an import dependency ratio of 68% as of 2010.
• China's copper supply is highly concentrated, with 45% of its imports of copper ores, concentrates, scrap, and refined copper coming from Chile, Australia, and the United States.
• Copper production is highly energy-intensive and a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions; for example, in 2000, copper production accounted for 12% of Chile's total carbon emissions.
• Mining operations pose severe environmental risks, including acid mine drainage (AMD) which releases sulfuric acid and heavy metals into surrounding areas.
• Resource nationalism is identified as a significant risk across China's main copper suppliers, including Peru, Chile, and Australia.
• Social and human rights abuses in the supply chain, such as those reported by Human Rights Watch regarding Chinese state-owned mines in Zambia, can threaten the 'social license to operate' and disrupt supply.
• The report suggests five specific policy steps for China: building embassy capabilities, engaging with international standards, exploring fiscal measures, implementing green public procurement, and updating corporate social responsibility (CSR) guidelines.
• There is currently no single Chinese ministry or department with a comprehensive mandate to manage the country's international import footprint.

APA

Potts, J., Huppé, G. A., Dion, J., Voora, V., & Forstater, M. (2014). Meeting China’s Global Resource Needs. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/china_global_resource_copper.pdf

Chicago

Potts, Jason, Gabriel A. Huppé, Jason Dion, Vivek Voora, and Maya Forstater. Meeting China’s Global Resource Needs. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2014. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/china_global_resource_copper.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Potts |first1=Jason |last2=Huppé |first2=Gabriel A. |last3=Dion |first3=Jason |last4=Voora |first4=Vivek |last5=Forstater |first5=Maya |title=Meeting China’s Global Resource Needs |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=February 2014 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/china_global_resource_copper.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{potts2014meeting, author = {Potts, Jason and Huppé, Gabriel A. and Dion, Jason and Voora, Vivek and Forstater, Maya}, title = {{Meeting China’s Global Resource Needs}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2014}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/china_global_resource_copper.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }