But the Chinese coal market had grown increasingly complex. The Chinese government had imposed a freeze on all new coal exports in February 2008 and increased its export tax to 13% on existing export commitments. At the same time, China had ordered more than 15,000 small coal mines closed in recent years, primarily a result of unsafe working conditions and continued mine accidents. With much of China’s coal reserves in the far north and west of the country, far from the coastal markets and not readily accessible, China has been looking more and more to foreign markets to fulfill its growing coal demands.