Mines to pay for environmental damage

From next year, foreign and domestic mining companies will be required to pay money into special environmental trust accounts, which will be handed back to the companies once land around the mines is properly restored.

Jiang Jianjun, director of the geological environment department under the Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR), said: "We are mulling a national mine ecological environment protection regulation to be issued next year.

"This will include details of how we intend to protect and restore the natural environment around mines through a special fund."