China's Inner Mongolia sees record coal reserves

HOHHOT -- Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China's leading coal producer, on Friday reported that its total proved coal reserves surpassed one trillion tonnes as of the end of 2016.

Inner Mongolia holds China's largest coal reserves and produces around one fourth of the country's coal, according to the regional government.

In response to a government capacity-cut drive, the region's coal output decreased to 838 million tonnes last year from 984 million tonnes in 2011, it said.

In recent years, tackling overcapacity in bloated sectors such as coal and steel has been among the top priorities for policymakers in China.

Last year, China eliminated coal production capacity by over 290 million tonnes and steel by more than 65 million tonnes, both beating government annual targets.