On September 3, 2026, Mr. Jiang Hui, President of the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals & Chemicals Importers & Exporters (CCCMC), officially released the Sustainable Mining Code to the global audience at the Second Global Enterprises Summit on High-Quality Belt and Road Cooperation, held in Singapore under the theme "Connectivity, Building a Better World" and organized by the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC).
Jiang Hui stated that the updated standard features three major characteristics:
First, a comprehensive upgrade of sustainable mining standards. The Code represents a systematic upgrade based on the Guidelines for Social Responsibility in Outbound Mining Investments, fully incorporating the practical experience of the Chinese Due Diligence Guidelines for Mineral Supply Chain. Structured around 24 core issues, it establishes risk prevention and continuous improvement as fundamental principles, aiming to provide comprehensive guidance for the sustainable practices of Chinese mining enterprises through full-process management and upstream-downstream coordination.
Second, governance responsibility is extended to the source. At present, mineral resources are widely used in emerging fields such as new energy, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing. Only by securing the first gateway of resource development can the foundation for the green transformation of the entire industry be solidified. The Code extends governance responsibility to the source, covering the entire process of mining project construction and operation, and ensures that ESG risks are “traced to the source and managed at the source,” thereby creating a safe and stable operating environment.
Third, Chinese standards are advanced toward open cooperation. During the drafting process, the project team carefully solicited opinions from government agencies, international organizations, enterprises, and industry partners, attracting the attention and participation of nearly one hundred international stakeholders and receiving nearly one thousand inquiries and comments. Positive feedback was also received from cooperation partners including OECD, ILO, UNIDO, and UNCTAD.
Jiang Hui believes that standards should not become new trade barriers, but should instead enhance mutual trust, promote cooperation, improve transparency, and improve mining governance. In recent years, CCCMC has actively participated in international standard development and green mining governance, remaining active on relevant United Nations platforms and in multilateral dialogues, and has continued to make its voice heard on policy communication, technical exchange, and capacity building.
Jiang Hui stated: We must uphold open cooperation and promote mutual learning among sustainable standards; uphold source-based governance and ensure responsibility runs through the entire mining operation process; and uphold shared benefits so that mineral resource development better serves resource countries, local communities, and all industry stakeholders.
Moving forward, CCCMC will take this release as a new starting point to conduct outreach, training, piloting, and joint assessments of the Code and the supporting assessment tool, summarize corporate practices, refine the Code's content, and strengthen exchanges and cooperation with relevant parties, so as to enhance mutual trust, promote mutual recognition, and pursue mutual benefit.
