A four-day seminar which ended here Sunday explored the prospects for closer cooperation between Mongolia and China in the coal industry.

The China-Mongolian Coal Cooperation Seminar, jointly run by the School of Foreign Service of National University of Mongolia and the University of Inner Mongolia of China, brought together experts and scholars, government officials and business representatives from the two countries.

Participants analysed problems encountered in cooperation in the development of coal fields and looked at ways to expand joint work in the sector.

According to Mongolian experts, the country”s geological coal reserves are about 173.3 billion tons. There are more than 300 coal mines in 15 regions, ranking Mongolia in the world”s top 10 coal producers.

In 2012, Mongolia produced 31.1 million tons, exported 20.5 million tons, and provided 828.5 billion tugrug (600 million U.S. dollars) in state revenue.