From China Daily, via Gov.cn:
China’s attempts to shut down illegal and unsafe coal mines have met with mixed success, the nation’s safety watchdog has revealed.
Only around 40 per cent of the pits on the government’s 2005 closure list had stopped mining by the end of last year, according to a document released by the National Development and Reform Commission (NRDC).
In the document, labelled “especially urgent,” the commission called on local governments to strengthen their efforts in the “closure campaign,” and suggested punishing local officials who failed to perform their duties.