Coal Crisis Eases as Government Backtracks on Cuts

By Fan Ruohong, Yu Hairong, Lu Bingyang, Liu Caiping, Huang Kaixi and Chen Na

Coal is transported by trucks from a coal production base in Huaibei, Anhui province, on Nov. 17. Photo: Visual China

(Beijing) — The route to structural reform does not always follow a straight line.

China set a target back in February to cut 500 million tons of coal capacity over three to five years. Little did authorities imagine they'd be forced to backtrack within a few months to halt a surge in prices and counter a severe shortage of the fuel ahead of peak winter demand.

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