China attaches great importance to the mining industry and encourages international mining cooperation, said Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan in a congratulatory letter sent to the 2005 China International Mining Conference, which opened here on Tuesday.

As the world's largest developing country, China always puts mining in a priority position, and so as to ease the tension between economic growth and the environment, the government puts resource conservation in an important position and strives to develop a recycled economy, Zeng said.

China, mainly dependent upon its own resource supply, is willing to enhance ties with other countries, regional organizations and enterprises on the basis of mutual benefit in a bid to conduct mining cooperation on various levels and in various areas, he said.

The conference, held by the Ministry of Land and Resources, is to last three days. Over 1,600 Chinese and overseas delegates exchanged views on mining policy, market and finance, new theory and technology, mining safety and environmental protection.