An Analysis of the Mineral Industries of the Republics of China, the Philippines, and Korea, the Kingdom of Thailand, and New Zealand. Volume II. Chapters 5-7.

Taiwans mineral wealth is very meager in world terms, limited in development because of the countrys non-membership in world lending organizations. The Philippines has an extensive natural resource base of many strategically important minerals, but the country is extremely indebted, lacking capital to develop infrastructure and processing capacity. The Republic of Korea has not completed mineral potential surveys of the entire country. The countrys rugged terrain and undeveloped infrastructure is largely blamed for incomplete geological surveys. Thailand has significant mineral resources, but the government has no minerals policy and cannot control widespread minerals smuggling and illegal mining. This situation discourages large mineral ventures. New Zealand is also a dwarf with respect to its mineral wealth. This country has depended very heavily on farm products and is in the process of diversifying its economy. Important minerals in this part of the world include chromium, copper, cobalt, gold, tin, tantalum, natural gas, antimony, graphite, tungsten, and talc. Keywords Energy minerals Metal ores Natural resources Strategic materials. Theses