13. INCOME TAXES (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Components of the provision for income taxes

	Three-Month Period Ended March 31,
	2021			2020
Current taxes – PRC	$	—		$	—
Deferred tax – PRC entities		743,709			1,256,443
Deferred taxes –US entity		15,957			24,053
Change in valuation allowance		(15,957	)		(24,053	)
	$	743,709		$	1,256,443

Income tax expenses reconciliation

	Three-Month Period Ended March 31,
Reconciliations	2021			2020
Statutory income tax rate		25	%		25	%
Non-taxable & Non-deductible items		(1	%)		2	%
Change in valuation allowance		(1	%)		(1	%)
Effective income tax benefit (expense) rate		23	%		26	%

Deferred tax assets and liabilities

	March 31,			December 31,
	2021			2020
Deferred tax liabilities	$	—		$	—
Deferred tax assets:
Impairment on property, plant and equipment	$	2,712,092		$	2,907,548
Impairment on prepaid land lease		877,656			883,884
Exploration costs		1,894,641			1,908,087
Compensation costs of unexercised stock options		72,699			74,883
PRC tax losses		22,296,935			21,643,028
US federal net operating loss		1,063,644			1,045,503
Total deferred tax assets		28,917,667			28,462,933
Valuation allowance		(9,785,742	)		(9,872,706	)
Net deferred tax asset	$	19,131,925		$	18,590,227