New Pacific Acquires 80% Interest in Fortress Mining Inc.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 04/08/13 -- New Pacific Metals Corp. (TSX: NUX) ("New Pacific" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has paid US$3.5 million ("Initial Payment") for an 80% interest in Fortress Mining Inc., a subsidiary of Silvercorp Metals Corp., pursuant to the terms of an agreement dated December 14, 2012 (the "Agreement"). Please refer to the Company's news releases dated December 21, 2012 and February 21, 2013 for further information in regards of the Agreement and its contemplated transactions.

Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, the Company has an option to acquire the remaining 20% within two years for an additional US$5 million (the "Second Payment").

The TSX has approved the Agreement subject to certain conditions including the following: (1) the TSX pre-clearing the information circular disclosure pertaining to the Agreement including the form of applicable shareholders' resolution approving the Second Payment; (2) the Second Payment being approved by the disinterested shareholders of the Company before it is paid since the sum of the Initial Payment and Second Payment is greater than 10% of the current market value of the Company's listed common shares.

The Company will seek disinterested shareholders' approval of the Second Payment at its next AGM which is planned to be held in November 2013.


About New Pacific

New Pacific is a Canadian gold and silver exploration and development company which owns the Tagish Lake gold project in Yukon, Canada.


CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

Certain of the statements and information in this press release constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial securities laws. Any statements or information that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects", "is expected", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategies", "targets", "goals", "forecasts", "objectives", "budgets", "schedules", "potential" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements or information relate to, among other things: the price of silver and other metals; the accuracy of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates at the Company's material properties; the sufficiency of the Company's capital to finance the Company's operations; estimates of the Company's revenues and capital expenditures; timing of receipt of permits and regulatory approvals; availability of funds from production to finance the Company's operations; and access to and availability of funding for future construction, use of proceeds from any financing and development of the Company's properties.

Forward-looking statements or information are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements or information, including, without limitation, risks relating to: fluctuating commodity prices; calculation of resources, reserves and mineralization and precious and base metal recovery; interpretations and assumptions of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates; exploration and development programs; feasibility and engineering reports; permits and licenses; title to properties; First Nations title claims and rights; property interests; joint venture partners; acquisition of commercially mineable mineral rights; financing; recent market events and conditions; economic factors affecting the Company; timing, estimated amount, capital and operating expenditures and economic returns of future production; integration of future acquisitions into the Company's existing operations; competition; operations and political conditions; regulatory environment in Canada; environmental risks; insurance; risks and hazards of mining operations; key personnel; conflicts of interest; dependence on management.

This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements or information are statements about the future and are inherently uncertain, and actual achievements of the Company or other future events or conditions may differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements or information due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including, without limitation, those referred to in the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended June 30, 2012 under the heading "Risk Factors". Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.

The Company's forward-looking statements and information are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management as of the date of this press release, and other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements and information if circumstances or management's assumptions, beliefs, expectations or opinions should change, or changes in any other events affecting such statements or information. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information.



Contacts:

New Pacific Metals Corp.
Investor Relations
(604) 633-1368
(604) 669-9387 (FAX)
info@newpacificmetals.com
www.newpacificmetals.com