Abstract: China has a complete range of coalbed methane (CBM) resources, which are extremely rich and relatively reliable. The resource foundation can completely form an emerging industry with an annual gas production of hundreds of billions of cubic meters. With strong national support, after 30 years of arduous efforts, China has made significant progresses in the exploration and development of coalbed methane, forming an industry with an annual production of 10 billion cubic meters. However, this is too far from the goal of 100 billion cubic meters of coalbed methane annually, and the national task has not been completed for three consecutive Five-year plans. At the same time, China CBM industry has lost its clear development direction. Only a small contribution can be made to the urgently needed natural gas industry in China. The fundamental reason is that the theory and technology of CBM exploration and development established domestically and internationally over the past 30 years can not fully reflect the composition and pore structure characteristics of coal, as well as the occurrence state of methane mainly in an adsorbed state, which is not fully in line with the mechanism of CBM production, of which applicability is too small to be universal. On the basis of in-depth analysis of the mechanism of coalbed methane production, it is proposed that only the integration of coal mine gas and natural gas development disciplines can establish scientific and practical theories and technologies for CBM exploration and development. Then, four types of CBM resources are divided. Moreover, each CBM resource can be established with scientific and practical theories and technologies to achieve efficient exploration and effective development. This article discusses the possibility and implementation path of building a 100 billion-cubic-meter-scale CBM industry in China from aspects such as the status of CBM resources, progress in oil and gas exploration and development technology, occurrence and migration laws of methane in coal. This article proposes to rely on the cross integration of coal and oil and gas industries, strengthen basic research, establish a theoretical and technical system suitable for efficient exploration and effective development of various types of coalbed methane reservoirs, generate a new discipline (direction), form a new production, technology, and industry field, and build a path of a large industry, To achieve the development strategy of forming an emerging coalbed methane industry supported by original theories and technologies of coalbed methane exploration and development, and to ensure the rapid formation of China's annual production of a 100 billion-cubic-meter-scale CBM industry, in order to significantly reduce China's dependence on external natural gas.