China places great importance on revitalizing its coal industry through science and technology, said Zhang Baoming, director of the State Administration of Work Safety Supervision, in a speech on Thursday at the Fifth National Coal Sci-tech Conference.

The long beleaguered coal sector is hoping to turn a profit this year thanks to a structural reshuffling and strict curbing on the aggregate output, he said.

More than 60,000 of the 82,000 small coalmines nationwide have been closed since 1997, when the industry suffered a severe downturn.

The compulsory shutdown of small mines has greatly curtailed the number of accidents, but it does nothing to stop the problems at the remaining ones, said Zhang, who is also the head of the State Coal Industry Bureau and the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety Supervision.

Statistics show that the remaining small coalmines have experienced 1,606 accidents between January and November this year, accounting for more than 60 percent of the total.

During those months, 5,005 miners have died -- 342 fewer than the same time last year.

The fatalities are much lower in advanced countries.

The director urged the whole sector to improve safety production and supervision through the continuous progress of science and technology.

The low level of science and technology today undermines workers' safety, he said.

By the end of last year, the mechanized level of coal mining, tunneling and comprehensive mining in State-owned major mines had reached 74 percent, 73 percent and 57 percent respectively, according to the administration. The annual output of some coal mining teams reached or surpassed the world level.

As the largest coal producer and consumer in the world, China has successfully stepped into the advanced ranks on coal mining, driving and transportation.

But it falls behind some developed countries in coal washing and processing, comprehensive use, production of coal machines and environmental protection of coalmines, the official said.

(China Daily December 21, 2001)