China calls for safer coal
China's National Development and Reform Commission announced the new coal policy. The new policy calls for higher safety standarts and insurance for the miners. The government will also employ 200 supervisors to monitor the safety of mines. China encourages the large coal miners with more than 100 milllion tons capacity to take over their smaller counterparts. The encouragement aims at increasing the mine safety and maintaining a stable coal industry in the country and increasing the competitive force of the companies in international markets. The country expects to see solid and effective mergers and acquisitions in the next three to five years. The number of registered mines in China is around 20,000 while the actual number is estimated around 6 million with the illegal ones.