Crackdown sought on illegal mining
Chinese authorities are calling for the start of a special campaign to crack down on illegal coal mining after more than 20 people engaged in the crime were trapped by flooding in Shanxi province on Dec 15.

During a national video conference held on Dec 16, the Office of the Work Safety Commission of the State Council and the Ministry of Emergency Management stressed the importance of drawing lessons from recent accidents and mandated the reinforcement of measures to guarantee safe production in coal mining and other key sectors.

Conference participants said that while demand is high, the country's coal-producing regions must take responsibility for preventing the theft of mineral resources and for the illegal reopening of mines that have been shut down.

Recyclable wrapping campaign to expand
China will carry out a pilot program to expand the use of recyclable delivery packaging between January 2022 and December 2023, according to a notice jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce and the State Post Bureau.

E-commerce platforms should encourage vendors to use recyclable packaging that has obtained green certification, and establish an information sharing mechanism with parcel delivery companies to remind customers they have the option to choose this type of packaging.

The program aims to raise awareness of the use of recyclable packaging and to promote handy, low-cost and low-carbon packaging products.

The notice said that the pilot program will be evaluated at the end of 2023.

Residential upgrades to benefit seniors
China will increase efforts to create a senior-friendly environment by renovating aging urban residential communities, adding elevators and accessibility facilities, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said.

Wang Ke, a ministry official, said at a news conference on Dec 9 that since 2019, more than 20,000 elevators have been installed during renovations across the country, and nearly 30,000 facilities to help seniors have been added or improved.

The ministry will now push for more accessible facilities for seniors in their communities as well as at more outside sites and venues, Wang said.

It will also promote the renovation and ease of use of aging homes by installing elevators and creating barrier-free environments so that seniors can go out and participate in social activities more easily, he added.