The US, EU and Japan Take China's REE Export Policies to the WTO

In the first WTO case to be filed jointly by the US, EU and Japan, the three industrial powers will argue that China's REE export restrictions are not in accordance with the coutries obligations under its accession to the WTO. 

Following the WTO Dispute Settlement Panel's decision last year regarding Chinese restrictions on numerous other raw materials, including  bauxite, fluorspar, silicon carbide, coke and zinc, which found Chinese export and licensing systems not in compliance with their WTO requirements, many were expecting a complaint regarding REEs to follow.

For more on the WTO and China's raw material export regulations, click here.

For more coverage on the REE WTO complaint:

• BBC News: US, EU and Japan challenge China on rare earths at WTO
• Reuters.com: U.S., EU, Japan take on China at WTO over rare earths
• Bloomberg Editorial: Obama’s Rare-Earths Case With WTO Won’t Ensure Security

Comments

[SMI Ltd.]

Ironically, the bigget loser in such a case may be Molycorp Minerals, whose share price has benefitted from restricted access to, and a perceived shortage of, REEs.

[hocquard christian]

it need perhaps one and a half to two years before OMC get an eventual condamnation. an enough lag time to China to indutrialize all it's domestic production leaving nothing REO material to export.