On December 1st an d 2nd, 2016, accompanied by Ding Fanzhang (Deputy Director of the Hubei Provincial Three Gorges Construction Committee Office) an d Li Tao (Executive Deputy Mayor of Jingmen Municipal People"s Government), Ma Rong (Deputy Director) an d Yao Xin (Deputy Division Chief) from the Resource Conservation an d Environmental Protection Division of the National Development an d Reform Commission visited Jingmen GEM “Urban Mining” Demonstration Base an d guided the work. The delegates were given a warm hospitality by the Chairman of the Board Professor Xu Kaihua.

On the afternoon of December 1st, 2016, Deputy Director Ma Rong visited Jingmen GEM “Urban Mining” Museum, the National WEEE Recycling Engineering Technology Research Centre, the Intelligent Information Platform, the On-Line Wastewater Monitoring an d Control Centre an d a number of workshops (i.e. sustainable waste electronics disassembly workshop, sustainable waste printed circuit boards management workshop, pre-treatment of spent batteries workshop, tungsten materials recovery workshop, battery materials production workshop an d high-purity nickel sulfate remanufacturing workshop). All delegates were impressed by the development an d achievements of Jingmen GEM, an d spoke highly of the real-time monitoring system.

On the morning of December 2nd, 2016, GEM members an d the delegates attended a forum on the topic of the development of the Jingmen GEM “Urban Mining” Demonstration Base. The forum is chaired by the Executive Deputy Mayor Li Tao an d held in the International Conference Hall in Jingmen GEM. Chairman Xu Kaihua reported on the development an d operation of the Jingmen GEM “Urban Mining” Demonstration Base an d commented that “Urban mining is not a low-value but a high-tech industry. In accordance with the goal of sustainable an d high-value development, Jingmen GEM has achieved excellence in project delivery (i.e. investment an d capacity). GEM aims to benchmark the global sustainable an d high-value utilisation of urban mines an d make a difference for the national economy.”

Executive Deputy Mayor Li Tao introduced the development of circular economy in Jingmen an d said that both Jingmen Municipal Committee an d Government would unveil strategies to boost the development of GEM. It was also said that the development of National Circular Economy Industrial Park for industrial restructuring an d city transformation required the assistance from the National Development an d Reform Commission.

In addition, the Deputy Division Chief Yao Xin has witnessed a significant growth of GEM owing to its technological advancements an d innovations. He believed that GEM’s integration of promising industries (i.e. recycling, new energy, internet plus an d traction battery, etc.) would make a difference eventually. Enlightened by its very beginning mind, GEM has focused on the core business - battery recycling an d earned its international reputation through its competitive technologies an d products. He said that the development of the circular economy industry in China depended on the performance of benchmark entreprises. GEM’s perseverance for its philosophy an d enthusiasm for taking on challenges have enhanced its core independent competitiveness. He also provided GEM with some guidelines in developing its core business industries (i.e. WEEE, ELVs, traction batteries, new energy vehicles, etc.) an d encouraged GEM to keep up with the good work.

In the end of the forum, Deputy Director Ma Rong made a concluding statement. She said that Jingmen Municipal Government has attached great importance to the development of circular economy industry an d generated appropriate strategies for the city, industrial parks an d companies. In the future, Jingmen Municipal Government can frame the opportunities presented by a circular economy for technological transformation an d performance improvement. GEM was ranked No. 1 among the “Urban Mining” demonstration bases that she has seen by Deputy Director Ma Rong with its achievements in nine aspects: advanced technologies, numerous innovations, a large scale in a scientific way, a comprehensive industrial chain, substantial investments, as well as its high efficiency an d utilisation rate (i.e. the flow from waste to product is the bottom to the top). She has a better knowledge of the recycling industry after her visit an d recognised Jingmen GEM “Urban Mining” Circular Economy Demonstration Base as one of the benchmarking bases. Ma Rong highly praised Chairman Xu Kaihua’s contributions an d suggested that GEM should become a role model for the development of the urban mining industry in China. It was also pointed that during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the country would further improve the Extension of Producer Responsibility system an d relevant material recovery regulations to promote the use of recycled products an d recovered materials.

GEM Executive Deputy General Manager Wang Min, GEM Assistant to General Manager an d Jingmen GEM Deputy Executive General Manager Jiao Hua, an d GEM Assistant to General Manager Zhang Xiang attended this reception.

Figure 1. Deputy Director Ma Rong (the second from the left) an d other delegates visited the Jingmen GEM “Urban Mining” Museum.

Figure P Demonstration Mining” “Urban GEM Jingmen of development the on Forum 2.

 Figure 3. Group photo (Chairman of the Board Xu Kaihua an d Deputy Director Ma Rong, the second an d the third from the right).