Gagnon noted that mining is slowly returning to China as a way to recycle waste inputs, notably heat, for residential and office projects. This approach allows for reintroducing mining in China as a net social benefit, balancing business and political interests.
How can a company/business/social project do that if the ban is still effective? Is he saying that people are doing it illegally, or does the law never affect them, to begin with? I do know that underground mining is still going strong over there, based on some news that I read. I'm not sure what residential and office projects mean here, but it is hard to imagine that the government does not even bother to check their daily activities at all. It sounds cool if they found a way to mask the mining process with something else though.