Authorities expose violations involving land, mining, forests

Chinese authorities on Monday released five typical cases of violations uncovered in the second quarter of this year, highlighting problems involving illegal land occupation, unauthorized mining and ecological destruction despite repeated enforcement efforts.

The cases, jointly released by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, involved violations in Shanxi, Heilongjiang, Jiangxi, Guangdong and Hunan provinces.

One case involved Kaijie Coal Sales Co in Shuozhou, Shanxi province, which had leased 60.67 hectares of land since September 2017 to build a coal logistics and trading center without obtaining the required land-use approval.

By May this year, construction had covered 45.85 hectares, including 14.12 hectares of arable land. Despite 21 investigations conducted between March 2019 and May 2022, the company failed to rectify the violations and instead continued expanding the illegally occupied area year after year, according to the authorities.

The case exposed inadequate oversight and lax enforcement by local authorities, they said.

Illegal mining was also identified in three of the cases.

In Linkou county, Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang province, the county government improperly approved the disposal of mineral products in March 2025 even though the original mining rights holder's claims had not been extinguished. This enabled Juneng New Energy Co to illegally mine sand and gravel under the guise of ecological restoration.

The county's natural resources bureau tacitly permitted the extraction of 246,000 cubic meters of sand and gravel, worth 10.68 million yuan ($1.58 million), despite the fact that no residual mineral products had been generated, according to the authorities.

In Ruijin, Jiangxi province, Mianjiang Fluorite Mining Co had operated beyond its licensed perimeter since May 2021, excavating 164.49 meters of underground tunnels outside the authorized boundary and illegally extracting 12,600 metric tons of fluorite ore. The violations were not detected by authorities in a timely manner.

In Yuncheng district of Yunfu, Guangdong province, the district government disguised a cement-grade limestone mining operation as site leveling for a scrap steel processing project between August 2023 and April 2024.

The limestone was improperly listed as earthwork on a public trading platform, bypassing procedures for obtaining mining rights, and the government illegally approved the extraction of 13.13 million cubic meters.

By June 2026, 1.21 million cubic meters had been extracted, causing ecological damage and creating safety hazards. The project was also improperly located outside an industrial park in a geologically hazardous area.

The fifth case involved violations of forestry protection rules in Yongzhou, Hunan province.

Huaneng (Yongzhou) New Energy Co had occupied 10.99 hectares of forest land without the required permits to build a photovoltaic facility since July 2024. Although provincial inspections had identified the violations and ordered rectification, the illegal occupation continued during the remediation period.

The two agencies also reported progress in addressing cases disclosed in the first quarter. Four cases have been fully rectified, with accountability measures imposed, while the remaining cases have completed on-site remediation, with relevant leads transferred to discipline inspection authorities.

In Yudou county, Jiangxi province, for example, a township government had led the illegal extraction of 596,000 metric tons of kaolin under the guise of gully erosion control. Suspects were detained and prosecuted, while the then-township Party secretary was removed from office.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said they will strengthen follow-up inspections and release the results to the public at an appropriate time.