The practical significance of article 1 of the Mineral Resources Law

The institutional demands arising from the high-quality development of the mining industry reveal an institutional gap between the old Mineral Resources Law and practical realities, generating endogenous impetus for reforming legislative objectives. The revised article 1 of the 2024 Mineral Resources Law, through systematic reconstruction, provides foundational legislative purpose support for the innovation of the mineral resources legal governance system. It serves as both the logical origin and value anchor point for constructing the mineral resources legal framework, representing a crucial institutional manifestation of China’s transition from traditional governance models to modern paradigms in mineral resource management. Article 1 of the new Mineral Resources Law establishes a progressive framework embedding “resource security” “environmental protection” and “equilibrium of rights and interests”. It contemporaneously optimizes foundational and strategic goals for mineral resource governance while outlining a comprehensive, multidimensional regulatory architecture. The paradigm shift in legislative objectives expands their functional role from declaratory principles to practical guidance, catalyzing systemic institutional evolution. Legislatively, it provides the value foundation for the internal institutional construction and external regulatory alignment of the Mineral Resources Law, guiding the systematic integration and dynamic adaptation of legal revisions while advancing the perfection and optimization of the mineral resource legal framework. Administratively, it establishes boundaries for administrative norms and enforcement authority, employs institutional safeguards to modernize enforcement mechanisms, and advances dual goals of effective governance and legal stability. Judicially, it ensures balanced interpretation of laws by reconciling uniform application with case-specific fairness, resolving conflicts through interest-balancing mechanisms that harmonize formal and substantive justice. Through legal education, it promotes legal literacy to optimize governance strategies and corporate compliance, fostering a collaborative framework where government decision-making and business operations are guided by lawful principles.