Gold firms urged to tap BRI potential

Outbound investment and imports have seen an uptick in recent years in the Chinese gold industry, as it has been actively seeking opportunities overseas.

According to a World Gold Council report, China spent $1.7 billion importing 854,150 metric tons of raw gold material, such as precious metal ores, from 55 countries and regions in 2017.

"China has abundant gold mine reserves. By the end of 2017, China's proven reserves topped 13,195.6 tons, up 8.45 percent year-on-year," said Zhang Yongtao, vice-chairman of the China Gold Association. "China is also the world's leading gold manufacturer, with output topping the world's chart for 11 years in a row.