On May 27, 2026, the Chinese language website of French international broadcaster RFI (Radio France Internationale) quoted a report from the French newspaper Le Monde, reporting that a large-scale coal mine accident that occurred in Shanxi Province exposed the limits of China's industry restructuring.

The article introduced that an explosion occurred around 7:30 PM on the 22nd at the Tongzhou Group Liushenyu Coal Mine in Qinyuan County, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province, killing at least 82 workers. It stated that this was the worst coal mine accident in China in the past 17 years.

Furthermore, in China, where the transition to renewable energy is progressing, it pointed out that 56% of energy consumption still relies on coal. Among these, Shanxi Province, where the coal mine accident occurred, is an important base accounting for 30% of the nation's total coal production, and it introduced data from Mao Xiaowen, Deputy Director of the Provincial Energy Bureau, stating, "Over the past five years, the province's new coal production capacity has reached 150 million tons annually, and daily coal production has been stably maintained at 3.5 million tons."

It also mentioned that the construction of coal-fired power plants continues in China. It reported that the installed capacity of new coal-fired power plants in China last year reached 78 gigawatts, the highest in the past decade.

The article further introduced that, driven by telecommunications giant Huawei (Huawei Technologies), the transformation to "smart coal mines" incorporating 5G networks and remote operating systems is progressing, and more than half of Shanxi Province's coal production comes from robotized tunnels. It commented that this explosion served as a reminder that there are limits to safety improvements achieved through such technological innovations.

In addition, it touched upon the industry restructuring in China from 2008 to 2012, which involved the closure of small-scale mines and integration into large state-owned groups. It argued that this accident revealed that the top-down industry integration was incomplete, and that underlying deficiencies in safety management have still not been resolved. (Edited and translated by Kawashiri)