Research on collaborative development pathways for the mining industry from the dual perspectives of national energy and resource security and transformational development of the geological exploration industry

The mining industry, as a fundamental sector of the nation, is intricately linked to the security of energy and resources, as well as the sustainable development of the economy and society. Currently, China's mining industry is confronted with systemic issues, such as disruptions in technological innovation, blockages in capital circulation, and imbalances in the industrial ecosystem, while the high degree of external dependence on key minerals and the arduous transformation of the geological exploration industry further exacerbate these challenges. This study systematically examines the cognitive discrepancies and their implications within the mining industry from the dual perspectives of national energy and resource security and the transformational development of the geological exploration industry, revealing that societal misperceptions overly simplify it as traditional mining, overlooking the technological innovation, factor input, risk characteristics, and value distribution logic across the whole industry chain, resulting in deep-seated contradictions including inadequate investment in technological research and development, low participation of private capital, and difficulties in the transformation of geological exploration entities. To address these issues, a three-dimensional collaborative pathway is proposed covering national strategies, industrial ecosystems, and geological exploration units: at the national strategic level, an institutional system for resource security is established, including the development of a full life-cycle governance mechanism for mineral resources, the enhancement of the national technological innovation system, and the creation of a dual-drive mechanism for resource security and industrial resilience; in terms of the industrial ecosystem, a market-oriented symbiotic environment is fostered through the implementation of an industry-wide risk-sharing mechanism, the cultivation of professional exploration market players, and the establishment of value-sharing mechanisms within the industry chain; for geological exploration units, capacity reconstruction and development model transformation are promoted to shift from being mere technical executors to innovation initiators, from single-service providers to comprehensive service providers, and from policy-dependent entities to market-adaptive organizations. Findings of this research offer both theoretical and practical support for safeguarding national energy and resource security and facilitating the high-quality development of the mining industry.