Meeting China’s Global Resource Needs

The report uses the IISD Supply Risk Tool to analyze China's copper supply chain, finding high vulnerability due to heavy reliance on a few major producers like Chile, Peru, and Australia. It identifies resource nationalism and environmental/social governance (ESG) issues—specifically greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency, and labor rights—as critical risks that could disrupt supply. The document recommends that the Chinese government enhance the capacity of its embassies, align with international standards, and integrate supply chain sustainability into green procurement and national planning.

• China is the world's largest importer and consumer of copper, with imports accounting for approximately 37% of global copper trade and 28% of global production. Its supply security is highly vulnerable because it relies heavily on a few countries, with Australia, Chile, and Peru together holding over 50% of global copper reserves.
• China's domestic copper reserves are critically low, representing only about 4% of global reserves. Based on an average annual mining growth rate of 8% between 2006 and 2011, China's copper reserves were projected to be exhausted by 2024.
• The two most significant foreign supply threats to China's copper industry at the national level are resource nationalism and natural disasters combined with negative environmental events. Resource nationalism is identified as a major risk across all of China's primary supply countries.
• Several sustainability factors pose high risks to supply security and corporate reputation, including greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency, labor and human rights, maintenance and security, and transparency. In contrast, land use is considered a low risk relative to other sectors like agriculture.

APA

Forstater'], [. P. '. A. H. '. D. '. V. '. (2014). Meeting China’s Global Resource Needs. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/china_global_resource_copper_cn.pdf

Chicago

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

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Forstater'] |first1=['Jason Potts', 'Gabriel A. Huppé', 'Jason Dion', 'Vivek Voora', '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_cn.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{forstater2014meeting, author = {Forstater'], ['Jason Potts', 'Gabriel A. Huppé', 'Jason Dion', 'Vivek Voora', '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_cn.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }