The 2nd Science and Technology Innovation Conference of China Minmetals and the Non-ferrous & Ferrous Metal Technology Integrated Development Conference were held in Beijing on January 15. Chen Dexin, Party Secretary and Chairman of China Minmetals; Ge Honglin, President of China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association; Xia Nong, Vice President of China Iron and Steel Association; Zhang Xiaogang, Chairman of the Chinese Society for Metals; Jia Mingxing, Chairman of the Non-ferrous Metals Society of China; and relevant officials from the Department of Science and Technology Development of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Science and Technology Innovation Bureau of the SASAC attended and delivered speeches. Twenty-one academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering attended the conference. Zhu Kebing, Deputy Party Secretary, Director, and General Manager of China Minmetals, presided over the conference. External directors and members of the leadership team of China Minmetals attended the conference.

Themed "Tech Leadership, Original Innovation, Integrated Future," the conference aimed to deeply implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's instructions on central enterprise work and his expositions on tech innovation. It sought to implement the spirit of the 4th Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee and the Central Economic Work Conference. By gathering wisdom from academicians, experts, and leading enterprises, the conference explored new paths for non-ferrous and ferrous metal technology integration, driving the deep fusion of technological and industrial innovation to draw a new blueprint for high-quality development in the metal mining industry.

In his speech, Chen Dexin pointed out that China Minmetals has always taken it as its mission to safeguard national metal mineral resource supply and security, unswervingly upholding the ambition of serving the country through mining and the responsibility of building a mining powerhouse. In recent years, China Minmetals has aligned with General Secretary Xi Jinping's instructions, prioritizing technological innovation as the primary driver. By implementing the "Five Focuses" development path and establishing a new technology industry sector, the group has achieved significant technological milestones and solved dozens of "bottleneck" problems, contributing to high-level technological self-reliance and the cultivation of "new quality productive forces" in the metal mining sector. Looking ahead, we must bear in mind "matters of national significance," adhere to "open research," and utilize "1 to 0" reverse thinking for target-oriented technical breakthroughs. We aim for more "0 to 1" original breakthroughs to build a strategic technological force in China's metal and mineral sectors. It is essential to smooth the path for the transformation of technological achievements and accelerate the construction of a complete, advanced, and secure industrial system for metal mining, ensuring strategic initiative in future development. We must vigorously promote the integrated development of non-ferrous and ferrous metal technologies, collaboratively forging a more resilient, sustainable, and powerful metallurgical industrial system to open a new chapter in China's metal mining development.

In their speeches, participating leaders congratulated the conference, noting that innovative synergy should be fostered, the status of enterprises as main bodies of technological innovation should be strengthened, and a modern industrial system should be built to contribute more to China's new development paradigm.

Before the meeting, guests visited the China Minmetals Science and Technology Innovation Achievement Exhibition. This exhibition showcased China Minmetals' major innovations in core fields such as resource exploration, mineral development, clean smelting, advanced materials, and intelligent manufacturing, featuring over 100 sets of physical exhibits and models. A special robot exhibition area presented a series of advanced robots and intelligent equipment used in scenarios like intelligent inspection, smart smelting, manufacturing, construction, and operation maintenance, reflecting the "hardcore" strength and vitality of China Minmetals in leading industrial upgrades through innovation.

The conference released a promotional video for the integration of non-ferrous and ferrous metal technologies and held a launch ceremony, marking a new stage of substantive progress in collaborative innovation between the two industries.

The conference held a series of appointment and signing ceremonies, appointing 17 academicians to the Expert Advisory Committee of the China Minmetals Science and Technology Committee. Agreements for "Top-ranking Task" research projects were signed with 10 academician teams, establishing a high-level intellectual cooperation platform. Strategic cooperation agreements were also signed with two national laboratories to jointly target major national strategic needs and build new advantages in deep industry-university-research integration.

The conference released China Minmetals' Top Ten Science and Technology Innovation Achievements of 2025, honored advanced models with the 2025 Outstanding Contribution Award for Science and Technology Innovation, and announced the requirements for 20 "Top-ranking Task" major research tasks for 2026.

During the conference, Xie Heping and Chai Liyuan, academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Ye Hengdi and Chen Wen, chief scientists of China Minmetals, delivered keynote reports. The conference also held four technical exchange sessions on themes such as integrated non-ferrous and ferrous technologies, deep mineral exploration, deep-sea mineral exploration, and pollution control in the metallurgical industry. A total of over 800 people attended, including heads of relevant China Minmetals departments and enterprises, as well as leaders from various central enterprises, local SOEs, universities, research institutes, and private firms.