The role of artisanal and small-scale mining in China's economy

The last decades have seen increased international attention paid to a number of features of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). The beneficial roles of ASM in society and the economy in many countries, however, are often overlooked, while its negative impacts dominate official press coverage and scholarly publications of the sector. Through a review of the available literature and statistics, this paper works toward building a balanced picture of the overall role of ASM in China. First, the positive and negative impacts of ASM internationally are reviewed, followed by a short review of suggested and actual international policy responses. Then an examination of the impacts and role of ASM in China is undertaken. The authors argue that the contributions of ASM outweigh its negative impacts, but the central government needs to make more effort to regulate, guide and encourage the development of ASM and to create a sound environment for its operations.