China has vowed to crack down on illegal mining nationwide before 2015 to reduce accidents and pollution.

A notice to this effect was posted on the website of the State Administration of Work Safety on Nov 7, asking local authorities to report to the State Council on the crackdown plan before Dec 31.

The notice states that unlicensed mines and those with equipment and facilities that fail to meet safety or environmental-protection standards will be closed.

A crackdown was launched by the authorities from 2006-10, resulting in a 47 percent reduction in mining accidents and cutting the death toll by 45 percent on figures for 2000-06.

Although great achievements have been made, the notice said the country is still facing a challenge in guaranteeing miners'safety, because there are too many small mines with weak infrastructure across the country.