China: growth, urbanisation and mineral resource demand

Over recent decades, China has experienced rapid economic growth and a related sharp increase in its rate of urbanisation. The speed of this transition, along with the sheer size of China’s population, has resulted in China being an increasingly significant driver of global growth and mineral resource demand over the past decade.This paper analyses trends in China’s growth, urbanisation and mineral resource demand. It compares China’s experience in recent decades with that of other Asian emerging economies over the past half-century. It also seeks to put the recent surge in Chinese growth and urbanisation in a longer-term perspective.It concludes that, since the convergence of China’s level of economic activity and urbanisation with those of more developed countries is far from complete, China will continue to be a major source of demand for mineral resources for some time to come.