Mineral resource security is the premise and foundation of the regional green rise strategy. And the adjustment of industrial structure is an effective way to relieve the pressure of the current green economy transformation. Based on the Shift-share Method and the Spatial Durbin model, this paper takes 30 regions in China from 2006 to 2017 as examples to study the impact of industrial structure adjustment on China’s green development from the perspective of mineral resource security. The empirical results show that: China is still in the process of industrial transfer. The dynamic effect of industrial structure promotes green development from the perspective of mineral resource security, while its static effect inhibits green development from the perspective of mineral resource security. The spatial spillover effect of the industrial structure affecting green development from the perspective of mineral resource security is significant. The static structural effect of the tertiary industry promotes the green development of the region, and it has a significant negative impact on neighboring areas, while the secondary industry’s static structural effect has the opposite effect.

Upgrading the energy-intensive industry is crucial for addressing global climate risks and fostering new competitive advantages. This study explores theoretical and empirical pathways for industry upgrading from “meso-industry” and “micro-product” perspectives using Global Value Chain (GVC) theory. An empirical analysis, based on data from 2007 to 2020 for 38 major global economies, includes a case study of China to propose specific product pathways for upgrading. Findings highlight that the “learning-by-doing” effect positively impacts energy utilization efficiency and cleaner energy consumption, enhancing international competitiveness. While product density facilitates sector transitions and competitiveness, high technological complexity, despite indicating advanced capabilities, may initially hinder rapid upgrading due to innovation challenges. These insights are crucial for policymakers in China and other major developing economies (e.g., Vietnam, Mexico) facing the middle-income trap, as they navigate the dual challenge of maintaining growth and achieving decarbonization.

China’s natural gas market is focusing on price reform and aims to reconstruct vertically integrated industrial chains in the future. Based on the mixed complementarity problem model of gas markets with nodes in Henan Province, China, as an example, this paper applies numerical modeling to simulate the effects of social welfare and equilibrium prices on nodes in two scenarios: pipeline integration and pipeline separation. The findings reveal the following: (1) Pipeline separation yields greater overall social welfare than pipeline integration, with the welfare shifting from gas producers to consumption markets. (2) Pipeline separation lowers the equilibrium consumption prices by driving competition among gas supply sources. (3) Pipeline separation will increase the contribution of natural gas to primary energy.

Natural gas has an increasing role in Chinese energy transformation. We present a system dynamics model of the natural gas industry in China. A new system dynamics model for natural gas companies based on reserve exploration and well construction as well as investment dynamics is proposed. The contribution of the paper is to analyze the influence of technology, investment and policy factors on the natural gas industry. We found that the dynamics of the main variables, including gas policy, cost of investment, accounting depreciation and exploitation technology, are sensitive to the sustainable development of resources. The simulations and results presented here will be helpful for government to reform policies, and for upstream companies to make decisions.