China's Coal Mines Urged to Pay Pension Insurance for Retirees ����Chinese vice-premier Wu Bangguo has urged the country's coal mines to pay pension insurance for their retirees and the arrears in their wages. ����Speaking in Beijing on September 25 at a national conference on pension insurance for coal mines, the vice-premier said the matter is of utmost importance to social stability. ����He announced that the pension arrears of major state-owned coal mines would be paid from the state coffer after going through necessary auditing by authorities. ����Wu urged banks to help coal mines recover their debts, which have been partly responsible for the mines' cash shortages. ����The vice-premier also called on state-owned coal mines to step up reform with the aim of establishing a modern enterprise system, including the streamlining of redundant staff to increase efficiency and profits. (Xinhua) HomeNews 1999-09-26 Page4 Full Story in Chinese