Hechi's Nandan revs up high-quality mining growth

Nandan county in Hechi city has been advancing high-quality mining development since last year.

Centering on building a critical metals pilot zone, it is driving trade transformation and industrial upgrading through entity cultivation, service optimization, resource integration and improved logistics, injecting new momentum into the local economy.

The county prioritizes stabilizing existing enterprises and fostering new ones, supporting leaders like Nanfang Nonferrous Metals Group and Jilang Indium Industry in their overseas exploration. As a result, the two entities' overseas mineral utilization rate now exceeds 70 percent.

From January to September 2025, the county's mineral import and export value hit 4.82 billion yuan ($670 million), up 40.32 percent year-on-year. Qualified foreign trade enterprises rose from two in 2022 to 13 now.

Nandan streamlines customs clearance by allowing goods to be released prior to full inspection, and expanding the Guangxi International Trade Single Window coverage. A tailored service mechanism cuts costs and boosts efficiency for cross-border projects.

Nandan has also merged mines into two zones and is exploring the so-called enclave economy with the Beibu Gulf and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Local firms are now running joint-venture mines in Vietnam, forming a closed-loop chain connecting overseas resource development and domestic processing. In the first nine months of 2025, Nandan's imported mineral value surged 55.92 percent year-on-year to reach 3.75 billion yuan.

Meanwhile, a sea-rail intermodal network and a bonded logistics park are under construction to slash logistics costs and support the sector's high-quality growth.