China has postponed its plans to close all its unsafe small coal mines within two years. The target was originally set for the end of 2008 but has been pushed back to 2010 after strong opposition from local governments.

China currently has 17,000 small coal mines, producing one third of the nation's coal output, and aims to reduce the number to around 10,000 by the end of 2010. The remaining mines are all expected to meet national safety standards.

An Yuanjie, an official with the State's Administration of Work Safety confirmed that problems emerged when the policy was implemented at local levels.

Small coal mines, some of which are notoriously deadly, are considered the major capital sources for local governments, which lead to many local authorities protecting unsafe mines for financial gain.

The state's coal mine safety watchdog, allied with 11 other ministries, has called for small mines with an annual output of below 30,000 tons to be shut down by the end of this year to reduce the frequency of accidents, a frequency growing worryingly common.

Unsafe small coal mines account for two-thirds of all fatalities from mining accidents, government figures show.

The Chinese government has also launched a series of campaigns aimed at rooting out local officials who invest in small mines, a major contributing factor to the high number of accidents.

(Xinhua News Agency October 13, 2006)