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Beijing (AFP) Nov 12, 2010 China has said it has toughened rare earth export rules to allow only producers that meet environmental protection laws and international standards to ship the precious elements out of the country. The rules are Beijing's latest move to rein in rare earths exports, amid complaints from foreign high-tech producers that the country is restricting shipments of the elements, used in everything from iPods to cars. China has a near-global monopoly in rare earths -- last year, it produced 97 percent of world supply. It has denied any embargo on shipments, including to Japan, amid a diplomatic row between the Asian neighbours. Beijing will "strictly regulate rare earth exporters", according to rules published by the commerce ministry on Thursday. The ministry said it would cancel export licences for companies found to have violated rules on quotas, or to have failed to follow industry policies or comply with environmental protection rules. To qualify for export quotas, firms must show they meet national and local pollution standards and have acquired ISO 9000 quality certification. The International Standards Organization certification measures manufacturers' practices against global quality benchmarks. China is home to only a third of the world's rare earth reserves, but in the past decade nearly all other countries stopped mining them due to environmental concerns and cheaper Chinese competition. However, China's moves to restrict exports have spurred other countries such as the United States and Australia -- which have 15 and five percent of reserves respectively -- to resume production. Officials from Japan, whose high-tech industry is the world's largest rare earths consumer, told reporters at the G20 group of rich and emerging nations summit in Seoul that shipments had stopped in September and had yet to resume. The United States and other countries have also reportedly seen disruptions in shipments. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and US President Barack Obama are expected to discuss the issue when they meet on the sidelines of the 21-member Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum summit in Yokohama this weekend. Since 2006, China has cut export quotas on rare earths by five to 10 percent a year. Production has also been slashed amid concerns that Chinese supplies could run out in 15 years.
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Japan says China still blocking rare earth exportsSeoul (AFP) Nov 11, 2010 Shipments of valuable rare earth minerals from China to Japan still appear to be on hold, Japanese officials said Thursday, urging Beijing to resume exports after a diplomatic row. "There is no noticeable progress in this regard," Hidenobu Sobashima, deputy director general at the foreign ministry, told reporters as the G20 group of rich and emerging nations opened a two-day summit in Seoul. ... read more |
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