China has decided to explore new possibilities of sustainable development in coal-rich Shanxi Province in North China.

At a meeting of the State Council on Wednesday presided over by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, it was concluded that the coal industry is facing serious challenges in administrative policies, resource management, industrial safety and pollution control, and that it is vital to pursue a more sustainable development.

The experimental policies will strengthen the government's administration of the industry and improving the coordination between different regulators to make them more efficient. The threshold for entering the industry shall also be raised.

The policies will try to improve the industry's notorious safety records. Strict enforcement of laws, better management of human resources and the use of more sophisticated equipments and technologies have been identified as major areas of improvement.

Other aspects of the policies include the reform of coal mining enterprises to make them more dynamic and responsible to the society, improving the management of coal resources by charging royalties, and establishing a mechanism for restoring the ecological environment of coal mines.

Experiments shall also be carried out to find out how mining enterprises and towns could veer into other industries as their coal resources are running out.

The meeting also approved a plan for the development and reform of the nation's defense technology sector during the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2006-2010).

Source: Xinhua