Abstract: Helium, as an irreplaceable and non-renewable strategic rare gas, plays an indispensable and crucial role in key fields such as aerospace, semiconductor manufacturing, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, low-temperature superconductivity, and national defense and military industry. Currently, China’s demand for helium is growing rapidly, but domestic supply capacity is seriously insufficient, with a high degree of reliance on imports. Moreover, the sources of imports are significantly affected by changes in the international geopolitical landscape, posing severe challenges to the security of the supply chain. Against this backdrop, this paper examines the complex changes in domestic helium supply in recent years, analyzes the necessity of strengthening the domestic layout of the helium industry, and, based on the current status and characteristics of China’s helium resources, proposes future development directions for the helium industry. The results show that China’s demand for helium is generally increasing and remains heavily dependent on imports, while the countries of origin for helium imports have been constantly shifting in response to changes in the international situation. To mitigate the risk of supply disruption, it is necessary to reinforce the domestic industry layout so that helium supply becomes autonomous and controllable. Helium contents in helium-bearing natural gas resources discovered in China are generally low, with relatively few helium-rich and many helium-poor accumulations, which is unfavorable for helium production. For the future development of the helium industry: at the upstream stage, focus on exploration for helium-rich resources in low-grade oil and gas accumulations in central and western China that are favorable for helium enrichment, taking into account the differences between helium enrichment characteristics and natural gas accumulation. At the production stage, different helium recovery technologies should be adopted according to helium grades in natural gas: helium can be directly recovered from gases with helium contents >0.3%; for gas reservoirs with 0.1%-0.3% helium, helium should be co-produced together with other chemical products to reduce costs; for natural gas with 0.03%-0.10% helium, helium can be recovered from boil-off （flash） gas during liquefied natural gas （LNG） production; in CO₂-rich gas reservoirs where helium content exceeds 0.03% and CO₂ injection for enhanced oil recovery is required within the area, helium can be extracted concurrently with CO₂ production. In less developed western regions, where helium-consuming enterprises are scarce and the cost of transporting helium to the more developed central and eastern regions is high and uncompetitive, discovered helium-rich gas reservoirs may be designated as strategic reserves with restricted exploitation. The exploration and helium recovery strategies proposed in this paper provide a reference for the planning of China’s helium industry and for the formulation of relevant policies.