23 September 2025
Speech for the International Forum on Sustainable Mineral Supply Chain (SMISC Forum)
I’d like to begin by thanking the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals & Chemicals Importers & Exporters and the many Chinese enterprises, civil society and international institutions represented here today.
Having participated in the 2023 edition, I am especially delighted to return this year and to witness how this forum continues to grow as a leading platform for global dialogue and collaboration on mineral supply chain governance.
As CEO of Transparency International Australia, we are honoured to have been invited to talk about the opportunity for Chinese mining leadership in transparency and governance of Energy Transition Minerals.
Transparency International is the world’s leading anti-corruption civil society organisation with over 100 national chapters around the world, engaging with governments and companies for a world free from corruption.
TI Australia is a centre of excellent for mining sector governance.
We coordinate a global mining programme in more than 20 countries to strengthen transparency, accountability, and inclusive governance in the mining sector.
Our programme covers countries where many CCCMC members are active, including Indonesia, Australia, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
We produce research, practical tools, and engage in dialogue with companies, governments, and communities to raise integrity standards and reduce corruption risks.
This helps safeguards the social and environmental interests for current and future generations.
I am also privileged to serve on the board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), the global standard for good governance in the mining, oil, and gas sectors, now implemented in 56 countries.
The EITI demonstrates how multi-stakeholder collaboration can improve transparency, build trust, and support responsible mining for all stakeholders.
Ladies and gentlemen, in 1987, then-Chinese President Deng Xiaoping famously said, “The Middle East has oil. China has rare earths.”
Almost 40 years later, his vision has been realised.
Chinese mining companies are among the leading players in the extraction of minerals, lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper and rare earths that are all essential for clean energy technologies globally.
China’s ambitious renewable energy targets are also driving demand for energy transition minerals.
Research by the Transparency International shows that China is not only the world’s leading producer and consumer of many minerals, but also a global leader in investment.
Chinese companies have invested in over 180 energy transition mining projects outside of China.
For example, Tianqi Lithium, operating in Chile and Australia, produces roughly 11% of the world’s lithium, while CMOC Group produces 9% of global cobalt.
With this scale of involvement comes both a responsibility and an opportunity for China to lead in promoting sustainable and responsible mining practices.
A recent study by the University of Queensland showed that almost two thirds of the world’s transition mineral projects take place on Indigenous peoples’ lands.
In many of these areas, communities have historically been economically and socially marginalised.
At the same time, the energy transition is accelerating, and mining projects are expanding into many parts of the world.
This includes jurisdictions that are high-risk, ecologically fragile, and culturally significant.
Transparency International research shows that more than half of the global reserves for 11 out of 14 key minerals required for the energy transition are located in corruption-prone or weak governance jurisdictions.
This includes 91% of the world’s rare earth elements, 74% of cobalt, and 67% of nickel. Other energy transition minerals in these high-risk areas include 44% of the world’s copper reserves and 28% of lithium.
The limited institutional capacity in many of these regions to manage the growing pressures of the mining sector heightens the risk of environmental, social, and economic harm.
Chinese enterprises, given their significant global footprint, have a important role to play in shaping a just and equitable transition to clean energy that benefits companies, host governments, and means that local communities are not left behind.
I believe that China is increasingly aware of the strategic opportunity to position itself as a global leader in ESG standards.
Initiatives such as the Basic Standards for Corporate Sustainability Disclosure, announced in December 2024, aim to align domestic practices with international ESG frameworks.
Large, publicly listed companies will be required to report against these standards from 2026, with full implementation nationwide by 2030.
Engagement with the EITI also offers a clear pathway for Chinese enterprises to mitigate risks, enhance stakeholder trust, and demonstrate leadership in responsible and sustainable mining.
Strong governance brings clear benefits for all stakeholders.
For Chinese companies, adopting higher standards, such as revenue transparency, responsible licensing practices, and the establishment of meaningful community engagement mechanisms and benefit-sharing schemes, helps demonstrates the commitment to local communities and helps mitigate the risk of corruption.
Importantly, it also helps secure a stable social license to operate, and improve access to international capital markets that increasingly demand ESG compliance.
These practices also align with China’s stated policy of “zero tolerance” for mineral smuggling, as well as recent reforms to China’s mineral governance framework, including the Export Control Law and other regulations aimed at improving oversight, sustainability, and ethical conduct in overseas investments.
For host governments, good governance ensures that resource wealth contributes meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. It also helps strengthens public trust, and ensures that communities benefit fairly from mining.
For communities, transparency and inclusive governance through consultation processes, benefit-sharing mechanisms, and transparent monitoring of environmental impacts helps ensure that mining projects bring real, long-term benefits rather than conflict or harm.
In the spirit of cooperation, dialogue and shared responsibility, I would like to leave you with three key invitations for Chinese enterprises to strengthen transparency, governance, and responsible mining:
- Collaboration with Transparency International chapters globally: Our network includes over 100 offices worldwide, with more than 20 actively involved in our global mining programme. I would like to invite you to engage in dialogue with civil society and with TI chapters.
- Responsible Mining Business Integrity (RMBI) Tool: Transparency International has developed this self-assessment tool in Chinese and English, allowing enterprises to evaluate their integrity practices against 40 international benchmarks.The RMBI tool provides guidance on critical policies and procedures, improves ESG practices, and strengthens social license to operate. Over 30 mining enterprises, are already using it to mitigate risks and enhance ESG reporting.
- Active participation in the EITI: I encourage Chinese enterprises, including CCCMC members, to engage with the EITI, implemented in 56 countries worldwide. As a multi-stakeholder standard, the EITI builds dialogue, trust, and collaboration across civil society, companies, and governments, ensuring that communities share in the benefits of mining.
To conclude, I’d like to share another saying about the importance of transparency, leadership and good governance.
“Sunlight is the best form of disinfectant”.
Thank you.