Tibet quartz discovery boosts China’s self-sufficiency push for hi-tech materials

China’s discovery of rare quartz used to make solar panels and semiconductors could help rewrite US import dominance2-MIN READ2-MIN1ListenPublished: 10:00am, 8 Jun 2026China has discovered a new source of high-purity quartz in its western Tibet autonomous region, potentially reducing its reliance on imports of the critical material to make solar panels and semiconductors.high-purity quartz is a gold standard manufacturing material for numerous hi-tech items, including some whose global market is dominated by China.China has relied on imports to obtain the important material, with most coming from the United States, because of a lack of domestic sources for the rare quartz. But recent geological discoveries could help China rewrite that dependence.08:58What are rare earths, and why is China’s dominance facing global pushback“This study evaluates Tibet leucogranites as a potential raw material for high-purity quartz,” according to a paper published in the European Journal of Mineralogy in April.