A Chinese miner walks past a coal heap outside a mine near Datong in this February 22, 2005 file photo. Chinese coal miners are raising spot prices in a domestic market struggling to recover from seven-year lows, desperate for an edge in annual negotiations to supply power plants, key buyers in the world's biggest consumer of coal, industry sources say. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause/Files (CHINA - Tags: BUSINESS ENERGY) A Chinese miner walks past a coal heap outside a mine near Datong in this February 22, 2005 file photo. Chinese coal miners are raising spot prices in a domestic market struggling to recover from seven-year lows, desperate for an edge in annual negotiations to supply power plants, key buyers in the world's biggest consumer of coal, industry sources say. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause/Files (CHINA - Tags: BUSINESS ENERGY)
A Chinese miner walks past a coal heap outside a mine near Datong in this February 22, 2005 file photo. Chinese coal miners are raising spot prices in a domestic market struggling to recover from seven-year lows, desperate for an edge in annual negotiations to supply power plants, key buyers in the world's biggest consumer of coal, industry sources say. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause/Files (CHINA - Tags: BUSINESS ENERGY)
Focus
China

The big workaround: how China is trying to avoid job cuts while shutting down bloated industry

In the second of a two-part series, we look at how the mainland is trying to cut industrial capacity without the pain of mass lay-offs

Topic |   Focus
Zhou Xin
Zhou Xin

Updated: 2:54pm, 20 Jul, 2018

Why you can trust SCMP
A Chinese miner walks past a coal heap outside a mine near Datong in this February 22, 2005 file photo. Chinese coal miners are raising spot prices in a domestic market struggling to recover from seven-year lows, desperate for an edge in annual negotiations to supply power plants, key buyers in the world's biggest consumer of coal, industry sources say. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause/Files (CHINA - Tags: BUSINESS ENERGY) A Chinese miner walks past a coal heap outside a mine near Datong in this February 22, 2005 file photo. Chinese coal miners are raising spot prices in a domestic market struggling to recover from seven-year lows, desperate for an edge in annual negotiations to supply power plants, key buyers in the world's biggest consumer of coal, industry sources say. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause/Files (CHINA - Tags: BUSINESS ENERGY)
A Chinese miner walks past a coal heap outside a mine near Datong in this February 22, 2005 file photo. Chinese coal miners are raising spot prices in a domestic market struggling to recover from seven-year lows, desperate for an edge in annual negotiations to supply power plants, key buyers in the world's biggest consumer of coal, industry sources say. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause/Files (CHINA - Tags: BUSINESS ENERGY)
READ FULL ARTICLE