China will control its coal output at around 950 million tons
and continue to encourage coal exports this year, said Shi Wanpeng,
vice-minister of the State Economic and Trade Commission.
At the same time,
the country will continue to close down small and illegal
coal mines and help those large and medium-sized coal enterprises
to make up the deficit and start making profits.
The remarks were
made at the All China Coal-ordering Fair, which began yesterday
in Yantai, a coastal city in East China's Shandong Province.
The fair is being
held to make arrangements for the production, storage, transportation
and sale of coal, allocating coal effectively around the country.
It is sponsored and held annually by six ministries and commissions.
At the opening
ceremony, the number of representatives reached 1,000. It
is expected that more than 20,000 people from all over the
country will take part in the 15-day event.
Participants are
expected to make deals with their business partners in Yantai
and place their coal orders for the year.
Zhang Guobao, vice-minister
of the State Development Planning Commission, said both coal
supply and demand went up in 2000 thanks to steady economic
growth.
China produced
957 million tons of coal last year, 473 million tons less
than in 1998. The decrease, mainly attributed to the State's
control of the industry, led to fortuitous increase in the
price of coal last year. Statistics show that the closing
of small coal mines has led to a decline in production of
300 million tons in recent years.
Three years ago,
most coal enterprises were having a hard time because of the
low price of coal.
In 1999, the country
started to close down small and unregistered coal mines, at
the same time imposing production limits on large and medium-sized
mines.
The country exported
58.8 million tons of coal last year, a big increase from 1999.
Zhang said the rise in the price of oil throughout the world
and the economic recovery of Southeast Asian countries led
to a increase in coal demand last year. This year, China plans
to export 63 million tons of coal, adding 5 million tons to
last year's figure.
Zhang also said
China plans to put more capital into the development of coal
technology. He said coal-liquefying technology had been listed
as one of the 12 major things needing development during the
country's 10th Five-Year Plan (2001-2005).
Last year, China
imported 70 million tons of crude oil, making the country
the third largest oil importer in the world.
(China Daily 02/06/2001)
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