Nationalization in Coal Sector: Is China’s Consolidation Policy an Example for Turkey

Privatization policy has been implemented in Turkey’s mining sector since the beginning of the 1980s. The discussions after the mine accidents which happened in the coal sector in 2014, China’s consolidation policy in its mining sector was provided as an example for improving the security conditions of mines. China which entered its economic reform period at the end of the 1970s has implemented the consolidation policy which was based on consisting the mining sector of big enterprises since the mid-2000s, especially after the global economic crisis which emerged in 2008. Since it has been preferred that these big enterprises are owned by the state, the policy has been in line with the policy which has been known as “state advances, private retreats” and constituted the last stage of the Chinese state enterprise reform. Coal is the most important mine of China for energy production and the target of the consolidation policy in the coal sector was stated by the Chinese government as solving the longstanding problems of the sector, especially the accidents which have caused deaths. On the other hand, the main target has been ensuring the contribution of the productivity increase in the sector to the sustainability of China’s economic growth and its integration to the global economy. In this regard, it is required to examine China’s experience, rather than presenting China’s consolidation policy directly as an affirmative example for Turkey.