In China, mineral resources are classified into four categories based on the industrial demand: energy minerals, metallic minerals, nonmetallic minerals, and water and gas minerals. Nonmetallic mineral resources are widely used in industries such as petroleum, chemical engineering, metallurgy, construction, machinery, agriculture, environmental protection, and medicine. They are increasingly utilized in high-tech fields such as national defense, aerospace, and communications, playing an increasingly important role in economic and social development.