Development Strategy

Looking forward to 2024, the global economy is set to face considerable challenges, including persistently high interest rates, escalating geopolitical conflicts, and sluggish international trade. The Global Economic Prospects released by the World Bank in January 2024 forecasts a continued slowdown in global economic growth for the third consecutive year, with a decrease from 2.6% in 2023 to 2.4% in 2024. In 2024, the PRC government will continue to promote strategies aimed at expanding domestic demand and optimizing supply, whilst maintaining a commitment to further opening up. It is expected that China’s economy will continue to recover and with a favourable development.

In terms of the coal market, it is anticipated that the domestic supply will continue to be prosperous in 2024, although the growth rate is expected to slow down due to stricter safety regulations and a diminished capacity for increased production. Demand is set to stay at a high level, underpinning relatively high fluctuations in domestic coal prices. Over the medium to long term, the leading role of thermal power generation is unlikely to shift. During the period of the 14th Five-Year Plan, there will be a significant year-on-year increase in new thermal power generating units. As the domestic economy continues to recover and the demand for electricity increases, it is expected that the coal enterprises will achieve promising results.

Looking forward to 2024, the Group will continue to implement the mine development concept of both safety, efficiency and environmental protection, further implement the refined operation strategy, making full use of the advantages from its own low-sulphur, high-quality thermal coal brand products “Kinetic 2”, and conforming to the market situation, in order to flexibly adjust the sales pace and strategy, and to improve the Group’s operating efficiency effectively. In addition, Weiyi Coal Mine and Yong’an Coal Mine, which are operated by the Group and located in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, are currently under construction and are expected to be put into operation successively in the second half of 2024 and reach full capacity in 2026. The Group is able to tap into coking coal business, and further increase the production capacity of coking coal by 2.1 million tons per year, thus break through the limitations from operating a single coal mine with a single coal type, and the coal mine project in Ningxia is expected to be one of the main driving forces of the growth in results in the future.

In terms of other businesses, the Guangtaichang Original Breeding Pig Farm of Inner Mongolia Liangyun Animal Husbandry Development Co., Ltd. (“Liangyun Animal Husbandry”)(內蒙古量蘊牧業發展有限公司) has been built in 2022, and 650 French original breeding pigs have been introduced from France. In the first phase, a breeding area is planned to be built, including a breeding farm and two fattening farms. Lijiata Fattening Farm (李家塔育肥場) was put into production in August 2023. Huajian Village Qianhao Breeding Farm (鏵尖村前壕擴繁場) is expected to be completed and put into operation in the first half of 2024. Wulan Bulang Fattening Farm (烏蘭不浪育肥場) is expected to be completed and put into operation at the start of 2025. The first phase of the project is expected to reach full capacity by the end of 2025, with 7,200 breeding pigs in stock and 170,000 pigs of various types marketed annually.

Looking forward, the Group will continue to uphold the principle of high-quality development. On the basis of the steady development of the principal coal business, the Company will expand a diversity of ancillary businesses, improve the overall operation efficiency, and to reward its shareholders with outstanding results.