The situation and strategy of the venture exploration capital market in China

Mineral resources as the material foundation for the economic and social development of a nation, with their sustained supply capacity being essential for the construction of a national security system. Despite the current deceleration in China’s GDP growth rate, the demand for resources remains high. The attributes of mineral resources as resources, assets, and capital in the mining industry and economic operations are becoming increasingly prominent, with market-oriented resource allocation becoming an irreversible trend. This paper, from the perspective of the capital market, delves into how to strengthen the construction of China’s mineral resource venture exploration capital market. By analyzing key factors, an analytical framework encompassing mineral resource management and the capital market has been established, identifying key and challenging issues that need to be addressed. The study highlights that property rights confirmation, information disclosure, and valuation are the three key factors in building a venture exploration capital market. Property rights confirmation is the prerequisite for the construction of the venture exploration capital market, involving the clarification of mineral resource property rights, which is the basis for transforming underground mineral resources into assets on a company’s balance sheet. Information disclosure is the safeguard for the construction of the venture exploration capital market, requiring mining companies to fully disclose their core assets: mining rights, regarding resource quantity and reserves, and to provide institutional guarantees for the authenticity of the disclosed content. Valuation is the driving force behind the construction of the venture exploration capital market, involving market-oriented evaluation of the core assets of mining companies, which is key for investors to make investment decisions. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of modernizing the governance system and capabilities in the field of mineral resources. Achieving effective transformation between resources, assets, and capital requires proper national benefit management and mining right management at the mineral resource management level, ensuring the legitimate rights and interests of market entities. Concurrently, establishing a comprehensive market-oriented reserve and mining right valuation service system is crucial for enhancing the modernization level of the governance system and capabilities in the mineral resource sector. The paper suggests that when designing owner benefit distribution systems, it is essential to fully consider the high-risk nature of mineral resources as hidden resources, to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of mining right holders, and to establish a comprehensive market-oriented reserve and mining right valuation service system. These measures will help increase investor trust in the venture exploration capital market, promote the effective allocation of mineral resources, and thus provide strong capital market support for China’s mineral resource venture exploration.