Its original purpose was to raise funds and purchase supplies and equipment for the Eighth Route Army and later People's Liberation Army, then engaged in the Chinese Civil War.

The company's main business focus is the export of mainland Chinese products (including energy) to Hong Kong.

Its retail operations are organised under the China Resources Retail group, and include Chinese Arts & Crafts; it also runs a number of supermarkets in Hong Kong, originally under the CRC name, but now rebranded as Vanguard.

In 2013 the firm and its chairman at the time, Song Lin, who also held high government rank, was reported to be under investigation regarding the purchase of coal mines in Shanxi province for 9.9 billion RMB that did not produce any coal for several years after the acquisition.

Meanwhile, coal from newly opened strip mines in Mongolia had depressed the market.