Guyana has asked China to help map its gold, diamond and other geological resources, a top official said Sunday.

Guyana's Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Robert Persaud, said an agreement was reached with China Geological Survey on mapping "vast tracks of land" in the South American country at a just concluded mining conference in Tianjin.

He said the agency will send a technical team to Guyana to hold preparatory talks.

Persaud said the survey data would be used to help target reserves of gold, diamonds, manganese and other minerals.

"It is the way in which the sector is moving across the world; more geological survey work than going blindly into mining," he told AFP.

"It is to avoid blind mining, in which there is environmental degradation and destruction and then you find out there is nothing beneath there," he said.

Guyana is also receiving assistance from Chile, Canada, Argentina in mineral mapping, he said.

Guyana last year produced more than 452,000 ounces of gold and 55,000 karats of diamonds.

Work is currently ongoing in northwestern Guyana near Venezuela to resume manganese production for the first time in decades.

The country is also said to be rich in uranium and rare-earth minerals.