The Supreme People's Court (SPC) of China released ten typical cases on civil disputes about mining rights during a briefing for the media held in Beijing on July 12.

The meeting was hosted by Wang Ling, deputy director of the publicity office of the SPC. Relevant judges were in attendance and answered questions about the cases.

Wei Wenchao, deputy chief judge of the Adjudication Tribunal for the Environment and Resources, said reform of property rights in the area of mineral resources is deepening and the systems for user payments and market trade are improving.

However, various problems, including the waste of resources, environmental damage and mine accidents may still be seen in judicial proceedings, said Wei.

Courts at all levels in China heard a total of 80,289 civil cases on the environment and resources in 2015, around 500 of which fell into the category of mining rights and rights over natural resources.

The 10 typical cases, covering matters ranging from mining without a license to a cooperative exploration contract dispute, are all important current issues in this area of the law.

We should foster awareness of property rights protection, said Wei, adding that adjudication should be both differentiated from and coordinated with administrative supervision.