Resumen de China axes rare earths export quotas
The removal of the export limits was announced as part of MOFCOM's guidance on quota licensing, bidding and licence management, covering 48 types of goods including bauxite, magnesia, fluorspar and phosphate rock. The decision to axe rare earths quotas follows a March 2014 ruling by the World Trade Organization (WTO) that China's export restrictions contravened international trade rules.
The ministry did not issue a separate announcement on rare earths, but included the elements in the guidelines' subsection 'C' relating to "goods subject to export licensing". Other commodities in this bracket include bauxite, fluorspar, silicon carbide, industrial salt, natural sand, coke, tungsten and molybdenum.
Subsection 'A' covers goods subject to "export quota licence management", and include antimony, phosphate rock, crude oil, indium and tin, while subsection 'B' outlines products companies need to bid for in order to obtain export quotas, including magnesia and "slippery stones".
