China’s coal production has surged this year as the government seeks to improve energy security by reducing dependence on imports and amassing inventories at power plants. Raising domestic coal output is consistent with Beijing’s broader effort to indigenize supplies of critical energy sources, raw materials and technology. Production hit a record 2,929 million tonnes in the first eight months of 2022, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics (“Monthly output of energy products”, NBS, Sept. 16). Mine output was up by 332 million tonnes (13%) compared with the same period in 2021 and 520 million tonnes […]