On July 5, 2024, the Launching Conference on Founding of the Future Industrial Innovation Consortium for Deep and Deep-sea Mineral Resources Development & Construction of the Original Technology Source, guided by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) of the State Council and hosted by China Minmetals, was held in Beijing. Attendees included Weng Zuliang, Party Group Secretary and Chairman of China Minmetals; Jia Xingyuan, Deputy Director of Bureau of Scientific and Technological Innovation of SASAC; Yao Huajun, Director of the Department of Science and Technology Development at the Ministry of Natural Resources; Li Xiangyang, Deputy Director of China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association (COMRA); and Han Long, Party Committee Secretary and Chairman of BGRIMM Technology Group, all of whom delivered speeches.

The theme of the conference was "Marching to the Deep & Sailing to the Future". For the exploration and development of deep mineral resources, China Minmetals served as Commander in Chief, with BGRIMM as the Executive Deputy Commander in Chief. For the exploration and development of deep-sea mineral resources, China Minmetals, China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited, and China Merchants Group jointly acted as Commander in Chief. They partnered with 19 central state-owned enterprises (which served as Deputy Commander in Chief), including China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and Aluminum Corporation of China, along with colleges and universities, research institutes, and private enterprises to form a future industrial innovation consortium. The core goal of these two innovation consortia is to concentrate efforts on key core technologies, systematic arrangement of essential technologies, typical scenarios, and major engineering projects, and active promotion of the sound development and overall progress of future industries in the exploration and development of deep and deep-sea mineral resources.

In his speech, Weng Zuliang emphasized the significance of exploration and development of deep and deep-sea mineral resources for the economy, people’s livelihood, and national security. He urged all members of the two innovation consortia to thoroughly implement guiding principles in the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee, and to advance exploration and development of mineral resources on all fronts. For the next steps of the innovation consortia, he proposed four initiatives, i.e., strengthening top-level design, using projects as links to coordinate and allocate resources, enhancing innovations in the technology and finance systems, and leveraging the role of the expert advisory committee.

In their speeches, Jia Xingyuan, Yao Huajun, Li Xiangyang, and Han Long congratulated the conference on its convening and offered suggestions for the future development of the innovation consortia. They emphasized the need to give full play to the advantages of the new system of pooling national resources, to strengthening collaboration among industry, academia, and research institutions, and jointly promoting the development of future industries and the construction of original technology sources to achieve new results and successes.

The conference included the launch ceremonies for the future industrial innovation consortia for deep and deep-sea resources, as well as the ceremony for the construction of the original technology source. Names of members to the expert advisory committee were announced, and appointment letters were presented to the members. All these actions marked the official start of the work of the two innovation consortia. The event featured keynote reports from prominent figures such as Hou Zengqian, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Ge Shirong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; and Liu Feng, Vice Chairman of China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association (COMRA).

Zhu Kebing, Party Group Member and Senior Vice President of China Minmetals, presided over the event. Besides, over 200 attendees participated in the conference, including heads from relevant departments and directly-managed enterprises of China Minmetals, and leaders from many central SOEs, colleges and universities, research institutes, and private companies.