BEIJING -- China recorded a 57-percent increase year-on-year in its lithium reserves in 2022, official data showed Wednesday.

East China's Jiangxi province accounted for 40 percent of the country's total lithium reserves, providing the lion's share, according to the data released by the Ministry of Natural Resources at a press conference.

Among all types of minerals discovered nationwide, nearly 40 percent registered an expansion of reserves last year, said the ministry.

With lithium included, minerals of strategic significance such as cobalt and nickel also saw their reserves grow during the period.

Usually referred to as "white oil," lithium is widely used in sectors such as energy storage, chemical engineering, pharmaceutics, metallurgy and electronics. It is playing a growing role in the green, low-carbon shift of the economy and the development of new energy vehicles.

China boasts diverse types of lithium, with the majority of its lithium mines situated in Jiangxi, Qinghai, Sichuan and Tibet.

The country has announced that it will peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.