The Chinese government on Wednesday issued stricter new controls and regulations on the civil use and storage of explosives after a series of accidental explosions in recent years.

The new Safety Control Regulations Regarding Civil Explosives, passed by the State Council, will come into effect on September 1.

The new regulations are based on the 1984 regulations, but comprehensively revised and amended so as to eliminate possible risks, said a State Council source.

The new regulations require:

-- a government licence to produce, sell, purchase and transport explosives;

-- bank transactions for the sale and purchase of explosives, with a ban on cash and barter transactions;

-- storage in designated warehouses where smoking and combustible materials are banned, as are sleeping and other activities unrelated to its purpose.

-- immediate police notification if the explosives are lost or stolen.

The government will also establish a database to monitor all transactions and movements of explosives.

All manufacturers, vendors and users are to establish a registration system that ensures timely recording the quantities and types of explosives and transfer of the information to the government database.

In the worst of the recent accidents, 34 people were killed when three tons of illegally stored explosives detonated in a hospital compound in Yuanping City, in north China's Shanxi Province, on April 10. Four people were arrested in connection with the accident on charges of illegally trading, storing and transporting explosives.

(Xinhua News Agency May 25, 2006)