By the end of 2007, a dynamic resource supervision system is to be established in mines throughout the country, the Ministry of Land and Resources announced on Friday.

 

The move is of great significance to the country's effort to build a "resource saving society" and prod domestic mining enterprises to cherish and make logical use of natural resources, said Guan Fengjun, director of the reserve management department of the ministry.

 

All mining enterprises in the country are to complete their annual reserve reports by the beginning of next year. These reports are to include reserve-related information such as conservative and accumulative reserve estimates, the volume of reserves exploited or lost in a year, any quality change in ores and the planned exploitation volume for the next year.

 

The reports are to be submitted to resources management departments before the end of January 2007.

 

24 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities already use this system, Guan said.

 

"The dynamic supervision system can help resource management departments at various levels ascertain their own reserves, which is a problem that has haunted mines in the country for years,"  Guan said.

 

Mining enterprises that do not submit their annual reports will not be allowed to operate the following year.

 

Mining enterprises can pick a local geology survey organization to conduct a survey of their annual reserves, and carry out inspections and random checks.

 

The ministry will be in charge of the supervision of oil and natural gas in the future. The supervision of radioactive minerals will be entrusted to China National Nuclear Corporation.

 

Provincial-level land and resources bureaus will be responsible for supervision of other minerals.

 

In order to meet the increasing demand and possible supply shortages in the future, China is developing its own strategic reserve of important minerals, such as uranium, aluminum and copper, the International Finance News quoted sources with the Ministry of Land and Resources as saying.

 

(China Daily May 15, 2006)