Recently, the Department of Natural Resources of Zhejiang Province and five other departments forwarded the "Implementation Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of Green Mines" issued jointly by the Ministry of Natural Resources and five other ministries. The document calls for comprehensively deepening institutional and systemic reforms in green mine development, accelerating the establishment of a new green mine development framework characterized by "government guidance, enterprise as the main body, leading standards, supportive policies, innovative mechanisms, strengthened supervision, clear accountability, and enhanced vitality," and making every effort to create an upgraded version of green mine development in Zhejiang.

Six departments in Zhejiang Province have mandated that, starting from January 1, 2018, all mines across the province must carry out green mine construction efforts in accordance with industry standards specific to their respective mineral types, thereby shifting the focus of green mine development from “mandatory construction where applicable” to “comprehensive construction.” For newly established mines, mining enterprises must complete green mine construction within six months after the mine officially begins production and pass the evaluation procedures for green mine construction before being included in the national registry of green mines. As for existing mines, mining enterprises that have already been designated as national-level pilot green mine units will be directly added to the national green mine registry once their verification is completed. Mines previously designated as provincial-level green mines must undergo verification by the end of 2018 and submit their results to the Provincial Department of Natural Resources for inclusion in the national green mine registry. Mines previously designated as city- or county-level green mines must complete the green mine construction evaluation procedures and be included in the national green mine registry by the end of 2019. All other operating mines must complete their green mine construction by the end of 2020 and be included in the national green mine registry through the green mine construction evaluation procedures. Mining enterprises included in the national green mine registry will be eligible for relevant incentive policies covering mineral resource utilization, land use, and fiscal and tax benefits.

To establish a regulatory mechanism for green mine construction featuring “social oversight, government spot checks, rewards for compliance, and penalties for non-compliance,” six departments in Zhejiang Province have mandated that the land and resources authorities hold newly established mining enterprises accountable for failing to fulfill their green mine construction obligations as stipulated in the mining rights transfer contracts. All relevant departments at various levels shall conduct unannounced spot checks on mining enterprises from time to time. For enterprises that fail to complete their green mine construction tasks as required, or whose green mine construction quality deteriorates after completion, the authorities shall urge these enterprises to complete rectification within six months. If the third-party assessment following rectification still fails to meet the standards, such enterprises will be removed from the registry and publicly exposed. Furthermore, the mining enterprises and their responsible persons will be added to an industry-wide “blacklist” of dishonest entities. The mining rights registration and approval authorities shall, in accordance with regulations, hold those responsible accountable for failing to fulfill their green mine construction obligations under the mining rights transfer contracts.

Six departments in Zhejiang Province encourage banking and financial institutions to step up their support for mining enterprises included in the National Green Mine Registry, provided that they effectively control risks and ensure commercial sustainability. They are also encouraged to actively innovate financial products and service models for green mine development, giving appropriate policy preferences to green mine projects in areas such as credit allocation, funding pricing, pilot programs for innovative products, and enhanced approval efficiency. Furthermore, regulatory authorities at all levels, banking and financial institutions, and relevant local government departments should strengthen information sharing on green mines, promote the establishment of an information-sharing mechanism for the National Green Mine Registry, enhance interconnectivity and data sharing, and jointly support the development of green mines.