Li urges coal sector to dig out new economic drivers

Premier says laid-off miners will get help landing alternative jobs

Coal mines that are closed during China's push to cut overcapacity should transform their old economic drivers and offer better assistance to miners needing job relocation, Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday.

Li made the call on Monday morning while visiting a coal mine in Changzhi, Shanxi province. The mine, Shigejie, which has operated for more than 90 years and was among China's largest coal producers during the 1960s, halted operations last year due to the low-quality coal it produced and its outdated operational facilities.