For the purpose of improving the overall sustainable development capacity of coal and realizing the harmonious development on coal utilization, and society, economy, resource and environment, The Chinese Academy of Engineering organized a major consulting project called “Strategic study on clean, efficient, sustainable exploitation and utilization of coal in China” in 2011, which studied the whole coal industrial chain including resource, exploitation, upgrading, transport, combustion, electricity generation, poly-generation, conversion, energy conservation and emission reduction. This paper discusses the strategic position and function of coal, analyzes and summarizes serious problems like security, ecology, greenhouse gas emission caused by massive coal utilization, and proposes the strategic thinking and objectives of clean, efficient, sustainable utilization of coal in China. It also defines strategic measures of “scientific development, overall upgrading, advanced electricity generation, distribution optimization, energy conservation and emission reduction, technical innovation”, which provide scientific support for making plan and policy about coal and energy in China.