In the 2011-2015 period, RMB 17.5 billion ($2.7 billion) will be invested in mineral exploration in the Chinese province of Qinghai, with China's Ministry of Finance providing RMB 5 billion ($776 million), according to Chinese media sources.
Qinghai Province invested RMB 2.73 billion ($424 million) in 104 mineral exploration projects in the past three years, with the province's coal output in the period totaling 500 million mt, its iron ore production reached 100 million mt, its output of copper-lead-zinc ore reached 3.95 million mt, while its gold output for the period amounted to 120 mt.