“Could Chinese miners be facing stronger environmental standards?”, Dialogue Earth, 16 Feb 2026

On 1 December 2025, the Chinese Mining Association released two documents to guide mining companies on their environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance.

Deng Yaowen, an independent ESG consultant, says the CMA’s guidelines are a “very positive development”. He notes that the documents largely align with international ESG frameworks used in mining.

However, Deng Yaowen says the guidelines’ focus show that many Chinese mining companies are still early in their ESG journey. “The emphasis seems [to be] very much on whether management systems and policies are in place, and on the quality of information disclosure, rather than on evaluating outcomes on the ground,” he says.

Deng says there is an increasing expectation internationally for mining companies to carry out regular risk-based ESG assessments at the site level, and communicate important findings to key stakeholders, including affected communities and civil society groups. [...].

[...] gaps remain in the Chinese guidelines’ coverage and depth, especially regarding local communities. “GRI 14 requires detailed reporting on both positive and negative impacts on local communities, whereas the Chinese rules do not explicitly distinguish between these,”

Zijin’s representative also notes slight discrepancies between the guidelines and international standards relating to differences in context. “While they share common principles [...] differences remain in the practices of certain topics, particularly social issues like human rights and community engagement. [...].”

On 30 December, a third set of guidelines relating to environmental and social impacts was released. This one came from China’s Ministry of Commerce (Mofcom), a central government body with much greater power than the CMA.

[...] cautions that they lack enforceability [...].