Well-known Chinese online news site Sina recently reported that the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled against China on China’s quota-based rare earths export restrictions. This ruling was based on a complaint filed jointly by the United States, the European Union, and Japan. This is the second time China has lost in WTO filings on natural resource export restrictions. China’s quota-based export management system may be approaching its end. Experts from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce suggested that one-third of the WTO experts assigned to this case supported China’s position, while some other members, such as Russia, also sided with China. However some legal experts expressed the belief that the probability is low that China’s would win the case on appeal. Officials from the China WTO Research Organization called for establishing a protection system for China’s strategic natural resources.
Source: Sina Net, March 27, 2014
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2014-03-27/012929799448.shtml