China coal mine blast tests limits of Xi’s energy security push
China’s world-beating coal production has helped shield its economy from the worst of the Iran war shock. Now the deadliest mining disaster in years is raising uncomfortable questions about the cost of that drive.The privately owned Liushenyu mine, in the coal-belt region of Shanxi, produces mostly coking coal, meaning it would probably supply steelmakers, not power plants. A midsized outfit, it produced a fraction of the region’s annual total.But Friday night’s blast, which left at least 82 dead, is already prompting a response which belies the scale of that operation.
