As anticipated in our Client Alert1 dated August
2013, the National Development and Reform Commission
("NDRC") has proposed amendments to the
Coal Trading Measures2
("Amendments")3. It has
invited companies and individuals to comment on the Amendments
before December 17, 2013.4 The Amendments finalize the
changes made to the Coal Industry Law5 in June 2013 to
remove the need for coal trading licenses
(煤炭经营许可证). In
addition, the Amendments propose a number of other changes to the
Coal Trading Measures, which are described in more detail
below.
- New registration process
According to the Amendments, a company that wishes to distribute
coal must register with the relevant coal trading supervisory
authority
(煤炭经营监督管理部门).
It must do so within 30 working days after obtaining its business
license from the Administration for Industry and Commerce
("AIC"). When registering, the company
will need to provide general information about its company and
business. The new
