To advance global climate goals, China’s clean energy sector has experienced rapid expansion, driving a surging demand for critical minerals. However, the exploitation and development of these minerals have triggered a series of “resource curse” predicaments, which may influence the pace of China’s energy transition. This paper adopts the four-dimensional framework of energy justice—distributive, procedural, restorative, and recognitional justice—to systematically analyze the manifestations of the “resource curse” in China’s critical minerals development. The findings reveal that resource rich regions face the risk of single industrial structure and slowing growth; in some individual cases, environmental impact assessments have not been effectively implemented, and regulatory requirements have not been fully observed in mineral development; some enterprises have inadequate awareness and performance of ecological restoration responsibilities, resulting in lingering ecological impacts that require further remediation; and public participation needs to be more effective. These issues reflect some areas where China’s relevant legal systems can be further improved. This paper seeks to propose targeted improvements to the legal pathways under the current legal and governance framework, including optimizing the allocation of governmental ecological responsibilities, improving benefit distribution mechanisms, strengthening the supervision and accountability system, strengthening the institutional improvement of ecological restoration, and better empowering public participation. The aim is to alleviate the dilemmas associated with the resource curse and advance the sustainable development of China’s energy transition, while also providing a useful legal reference with Chinese characteristics for global resource governance in the context of the global energy transition.
Liu et al. (2026) studied this question.