China's rapidly growing economy is placing unprecedented pressure on supplies of coal, prompting a debate about whether the country is poised to become a permanent net importer of its staple fuel.
High local prices and transport bottlenecks resulted in China becoming a net importer of coal for the first time ever in the first quarter.
Politics is also putting pressure on supplies, with ambitious provincial bosses forcing mines to enforce laws ? often ignored in China's “coal rush” ? on safety and the environment.