[Central Media Views Gansu] Gansu Jinbailanwu: The Non-Ferrous Metal Industry Shines with a "New" Brightness

From the banks of the Qilian Mountains to the shore of the Yellow River, in the central belt of the Gansu plain, the four cities of Jinchang, Baiyin, Lanzhou, and Wuwei are tied together by the non-ferrous metals industry. They clench their fists into one, rally as a cluster, and help Gansu achieve a breakthrough in the “zero-to-one” development of national advanced manufacturing industry clusters.

From driving forces led by two provincial state-owned enterprise giants to coordinated linkage among more than 340 small and medium-sized enterprises; from having strength and scale among the top ranks nationwide to research and development capabilities reaching international first-class level; from key mineral resource production bases to development highlands for non-ferrous metals industries—Jinchang, Baiyin, Lanzhou, and Wuwei’s “new” brilliance in the non-ferrous metals industry is dazzling. It has become a vivid footnote to Gansu’s development of new quality productive forces tailored to local conditions and the building of a modern industrial system.

String beads into a chain: deepening the expansion of industrial clusters

Under the Dragon-Head Mountain of the Hexi Corridor, dark mineral ore with a metallic luster is extracted from mine shafts more than 1,000 meters deep. After being processed through smelting and electrolysis at Jinchuan Group Co., Ltd., it turns into nickel plates shining with silver-white light, cobalt plates emitting grayish-white light, and copper plates glowing with golden light—produced in an orderly way from different production workshops.

Inside the high-precision copper strip business division of Jinchuan Nickel-Derived Industry Co., Ltd., ultra-thin pure copper strip material with a metallic luster is slowly rolling off the line. (Photo provided by interviewee)

Jinchuan Group’s nickel output ranks second in the world, its cobalt output ranks fourth in the world, and its copper output ranks third in China. Its world’s third-largest copper-nickel sulfide ore deposit has helped our country get rid of the “impoverished nickel” situation, making Jinchang—where it is located—a “treasure basin” shining in the northwest of our motherland.

Along the Yellow River’s shore, the “Copper City” of Baiyin, more than 300 kilometers from Jinchang, is also built by mines and enterprises and shaped by enterprises and cities. The advantages of Baiyin Nonferrous Metals Group Co., Ltd. are clear in non-ferrous metals industries such as copper, lead, and zinc.

“In the past, the two locations and two enterprises had similar businesses and were in a competitive relationship in some areas, which constrained the release of efficiency of Gansu’s non-ferrous metals industry.” Zhang Yangcai, director of the Jinchang Municipal Development and Reform Commission, said that Jinchang’s initial goal in taking the lead to promote the building of the non-ferrous metals industry cluster of Jinchang-Baiyin-Lanzhou-Wuwei is to reduce internal competition while fully leveraging Lanzhou’s R&D capabilities that gather more than 70% of the province’s science and technology resources, as well as Wuwei’s space for industrial development. They string beads into a chain to form a joint force.

With clear positioning, efforts can be precisely targeted. In this blueprint, Jinchang and Baiyin serve as the core engines, Lanzhou is the R&D and production base, and Wuwei assumes the function of a transformation and application base.

One deployment, nine parts of implementation. The CPC Gansu Provincial Committee and the Gansu provincial government have pushed from a high position. They build the nickel-cobalt-copper new materials industry as the province’s number-one industry, set up dedicated working teams, and promote cluster development.

With the joint participation of more than 20 colleges and research institutes, over 120 key laboratories, and numerous industry enterprises, the “vision map” has turned into a “real-world map.” By the end of 2024, the Jinchang-Baiyin-Lanzhou-Wuwei non-ferrous metals cluster was selected on the list of 2024 national advanced manufacturing industry clusters. In 2025, the cluster achieved an output value of more than RMB 380 billion, an increase of about 30% year on year.

Clench fists into one: strong breakthroughs in key fields

Entering the heavy ion center of the Wuwei Tumor Hospital in Gansu Province, it is not difficult to see, in the process of visiting the mining site, going deep into production workshops, and examining research and development institutions, that after the cluster was established, Jinchang-Baiyin-Lanzhou-Wuwei has been continuously promoting coordinated transformation toward high-end, intelligent, and green development—accelerating its shift from a production base for key mineral resources to a highland for the development of the non-ferrous metals industry.

In March 2026, in the heavy ion center of the Wuwei Tumor Hospital in Gansu Province, a medical physicist is conducting diagnostic analysis for a patient. (Photo provided by interviewee)

This device’s clinical application marks that China has become the fourth country in the world with an independently developed heavy ion therapy system and clinical application capability. However, the key components’ materials of the medical heavy ion accelerator—high-purity oxygen-free copper materials—had long relied on imports.

To change this situation, Jinchuan Group, Lanzhou Taiji Ion Technology Co., Ltd., and Lanzhou University of Technology launched a joint research push. They successfully produced high-purity 4N5 oxygen-free copper plates and strips, accelerating the industrialization of medical heavy ion accelerators.

“The establishment of a cluster is about achieving complementary strengths across regions and between enterprises, and solving a set of problems faced in industrial development.” Jin Hongxiang, deputy general manager of the strategic planning department of Jinchuan Group, said that this breakthrough also depends on the cluster’s “research breakthroughs—platforms—talent” three-in-one innovation system.

At present, the cluster has built 34 national-level technological innovation platforms, attracting more than 20 academicians from the two academies to join. It has become an important production base for nickel-cobalt-based new materials in China. Its product system, industrial chain, and overall technical level are all leading.

A “tearable nickel” strip with a thickness of 0.05 millimeters fills a domestic gap and ships overseas; a “tearable copper” strip with a thickness of 3.5 micrometers refreshes industry records; an ultra-fine electromagnetic wire with a diameter of 0.012 millimeters reaches an internationally advanced manufacturing level… Various high-precision products break through from here and go to the world.

Wei Lili, a professor at the School of Economics of Lanzhou University, said that the Jinchang-Baiyin-Lanzhou-Wuwei non-ferrous metals industry cluster not only draws on its own resource endowments and serves national strategic needs, but also extends and strengthens the industrial chain, accelerates science and technology innovation drivers, and promotes integrated development. By clenching fists into one, it achieves breakthroughs in key technologies.

Quenching into steel: synchronized improvement of quality and efficiency with “three modernizations”

Entering the mining site, going deep into production workshops, and visiting R&D institutions, it is not hard to see that after the cluster was established, Jinchang-Baiyin-Lanzhou-Wuwei has been continuously pushing coordinated transformation toward high-end, intelligent, and green development—accelerating its shift from a production base for key mineral resources to a development highland for the non-ferrous metals industry.

Moving toward high-end, promoting full industrial flowering—

In Jinchang, raw materials that used to be sold at low prices are now processed deeply on-site to extend the chain into “materials,” multiplying value and becoming a sought-after input for the production of new energy power batteries; in Lanzhou, key equipment and integrated solutions developed by Lanzhou Lianshi Group Co., Ltd. cover the entire hydrogen-energy industry chain of “production, storage, transportation, and application.” Products such as precursors for catalytic converters meeting National VI standards, researched and tackled by Lanzhou Jinchuan Technology Park Co., Ltd., have a market share of over 40%… At present, the cluster has nurtured 2 national-level manufacturing single champions, 9 specialized and innovative “little giants” enterprises, and 121 national high-tech enterprises.

In January 2026, inside a large-scale advanced-level intelligent factory for heat-exchange equipment of Lianshi Group, robotic arms are performing plate punching and forming operations. (Photo provided by interviewee)

Focusing on intelligence, boosting quality and efficiency in manufacturing—

Baiyin Group’s Northwest Lead and Zinc Smelting Plant’s smelting and casting workshop has built a “5G+” digital workshop, increasing labor productivity by 4 times; Lianshi Group has built 3 intelligent factories, 9 digital workshops, and 6 intelligent production lines, with a numerical control rate for key processes reaching 65%; Gansu Hailiang New Energy Materials Co., Ltd. works with the JD Industrial Internet platform to build a digital supply chain together, compressing the procurement cycle from 1–2 weeks to 2–3 days…

“Currently, the proportion of digitalized enterprises in key business links within the cluster exceeds 60%.” Wang Enfu, director of the Jinchang Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, said that by promoting deep integration of new-generation technologies such as 5G, big data, and artificial intelligence with nickel-cobalt-copper mining, selection, smelting, and deep processing, the cluster’s level of digital intelligence has already reached a domestic leading level.

Focusing on green, promoting energy-saving and carbon-reduction in production—

Jinchuan Group’s Nickel-Cobalt Co., Ltd. nickel smelting plant independently developed top-and-bottom side-blown converter (or top-and-side breathing?) molten pool smelting technology; system capacity increased by 30%, comprehensive energy consumption decreased by 40%, and the amount of smoke and dust decreased by 20%; Gansu Hailiang improved its process so that the carbon dioxide emissions per kilogram of copper foil are 90% lower than traditional copper foil production methods; each year, Jinchang generates several million tons of sulfuric acid and chlor-alkali waste electrostatic residues from smelting. In the past, it needed to pay additional shipping fees for export sales and disposal. Now, by introducing companies such as Gansu Baililian Chemical Co., Ltd., it disposes and consumes on-site, turning what used to be a “burden” into “wealth” for development… At present, the cluster has 6 national-level green industrial parks and 11 green factories.

Han Xianming, head of the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Gansu Province, said that Gansu will continue to strengthen industrial chains and gather clusters through more solid paths. Using a tiered cluster cultivation system of “national-level leadership—provincial-level support—characteristic expansion,” it will ensure that various advanced production factors flow smoothly into the field of new quality productive forces, and build more advanced industrial clusters. (Reporter Li Jie)

Responsible editor: Wang Huiwen

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