Conspiracy to suppress the price of rare earth imports large anti-siege long way to go

Over the past few years, China 's rare earth export quotas issued annually generally used up , Japan, the European Union, the United States and other major imports for China but for the abolition of quotas sued China to the WTO . Some foreign media by the end of October in China will disclose an adverse WTO ruling. According to authoritative sources , China Rare Earth Industry Association has begun with the relevant departments to communicate and to discuss countermeasures.

Widely believed that China rare earth quota system might be canceled , but a Beijing retired officials of the China Securities Journal reporter , said rare earth export quota system was abolished or not does not affect the import and export trade , China is trying to rectify the past few years rare earth mine order and governance environment issues remain modest reduction in the next 2-3 years production, exports , and in the international market so that a certain share.

Insiders pointed out that rare earth behind the U.S. , Japan and Europe lawsuit "encirclement and suppression " suppressing China rare earth prices ambitions , China should strengthen the rare earth mining , production, exports and other aspects management, standardize the market order , in order to " counter- encirclement & rdquo ; .

Export quotas sparked controversy

Rare is the strategic resource, which is 17 kinds of chemical elements collectively , used for wind turbines , fluorescent , iPhone, military radar systems and other products . China has accounted for 23 percent of the world's rare earth reserves bear more than 90% of the world market supply , it also brings a resource over-exploitation , environmental destruction and other outstanding issues .

The last century with cheap Chinese rare earth exchange for foreign exchange and market dominance . In recent years, China has begun to rectify the order of rare earth mine , the development of industry access policies to promote integration of rare earth industry , a series of control measures introduced, along with the capital speculation rare earth prices rose rapidly, the U.S. , Japan and Europe also caused dissatisfaction . Metal neodymium , for example, the first half of 2011, prices rose nearly six -fold.

March 13, 2012 , the United States , European Union, Japan, restrictions on Chinese rare earths , tungsten, molybdenum exports, to WT0 proceedings, whose main object is the rare earths. 1998 China began to implement rare earth export quota licensing system. According to incomplete statistics , in the past many years has resulted in numerous export quota remaining to 2011, for example , the annual export quota ( 30,184 tons ) using only about 60%.

Industry insiders said that in addition to inhibiting demand for rare earth rare earth prices , the user has enough foreign reserves , the United States began production occupies part of the international market , as well as smuggling is also very important.

" rare earth export quota system is in line with the production plan , a measure of mining plans , at least for now, did not affect the development of rare earth export quotas to foreign markets. "These retired officials told China Securities Journal reporter , some companies still use up rare earth export quotas reflect , because before the rare earth market situation is not very good . The former officials previously working in the Chinese authorities in charge of the earth .

For official will therefore cancel the quota system , the former officials said , the rare earth export quota system was abolished or not does not affect the import and export trade activities , the relevant departments should proceed from reality , according to the relevant WTO ruling on China to respect international organizations ruling.

"They ( United States and Japan ) to seize the rare earth export quota system to do the article on the grounds that export quotas are not consistent with WTO trade principles . " Jiangxi Rare Earth Society, Vice Secretary-General Meng Qingjiang said.

The industry believes that China may be adjusted after the end of the proceedings rather than cancel the rare earth export quota system. By the end of 2011 , the Chinese Ministry of rare earth export quota system has been modified , the modified system according to manufacturer's environmental compliance status of quota allocation , in addition to the quota were classified into light rare earth quotas and heavy rare earth quotas .

In October , Guangzhou held a rare meeting, China Rare Earth Industry Association vice president Wang Qin said in public , cancel the first rare earth export quota management recommendations lighter rare earth began to consider . The association was founded in April 2012 , is responsible for assisting the Government in formulating relevant policies and development plans of rare earth industry .

However, rare earth export restrictions violate WTO rules quite controversial. Some experts believe that , according to the relevant WTO provisions , in order to protect resources and the environment to achieve legitimate policy objectives , Member States may take the necessary restrictive measures, including export restrictions .

Export policy to be adjusted

Speaking of rare earth, people used to think it scarce , but actually not rare earth . According to the Ministry of Land and 2009 census, China's rare earth reserves of 18,591,000 tons basis , accounting for 23% of the world . U.S. rare earth reserves of about 13 million tons , but had been closed for many years rare earth plant , dependence on imported Chinese rare earths.

"rare earth not thin , reserves 17 elements together , even higher than some of the copper content . " Jiangxi Rare Earth a PhD told the China Securities Journal reporter , relatively speaking, the heavy rare earths ( such as dysprosium, terbium and other elements ) lighter rare earths ( such as praseodymium , neodymium and other elements ) is more scarce. Data show that in 2011 China exported a total of 17,279 tons of rare earth oxides , 2012 was 16,265 tons .

Mengqing Jiang also said that Chinese exports of rare earth products , but the amount should be liberalized, especially deep- processed products which can be exported , rare earth now controls ( so strict ) , is built on the concept of China's rare earth resources are scarce , and in fact this concept is wrong " from the point of view throughout the proportion of exports of rare earth industry , exports accounted for a very small proportion of production volume , most of the domestic production of digestion ."

It is understood that China 's rare earth exports, mainly from the 1970s . Before 1990 , the entire earth international market in the USA, Europe, Russia monopolized by the early 1990s , with the export release , a large number of companies began to engage in rare earth export trade, export competition is one of the consequences of European countries rare earth uncompetitive , China became the international rare earth market, " boss ." End of 2011, China rare earth supply more than 90% of world demand .

" ( in the past ) is not sold " cabbage price " , but some elements of it must sell" cabbage price ", such as lanthanum , cerium LREE , very rich, and heavy rare earth prices are not cheap , nor is it cabbage price . " Meng Qingjiang said.

"Limiting production will lead to Luancailanwa , black market , leading to a waste of resources. " Meng Qingjiang that the priority should be to adjust the export policy, strengthen application of rare earth development and efficient use of rare earth resources , can not be wasted earth .

Previously, some of the rare earth expert bluntly , rare earth export quota system susceptible to corruption , providing benefits "rent-seeking space," even if the heavy rare earth export restrictions the South , you can also use prices , tariffs and other means to regulate the use of export quotas easily seen by other national grabbed "pigtail ."

An official report said China slashed rare earth export quotas , resulting in a large number of rare earth enterprises due to lack of quotas , eager to have a trading company export quota system purchase targets. The report shows that the end of 2010 rare earth export quota system "market price " has reached 120,000 to 170,000 yuan per ton , up more than 200,000 yuan per ton , while the rare earth quotas speculation to some extent pushed up domestic rare earth spreads.

According to the retired officials, along with the United States, Australia and other countries rare earth enterprises resume production , will produce world's rare earth supply pattern changes, but China in the international market dominance still does not change , the next two to three years in other countries rare earth plant is put into production , supply the international market will account for about 30% , such a situation will ease the supply pressure on China .

Rare applied research to be strengthened

Insiders said that China will remain in the rare earth industry consolidation, including environmental and industry consolidation , etc., but compared with the country's strict control measures , rare earth application development gap with foreign countries is not small . Rare 's value lies in its use .

In this regard, Nanchang University of rare earth functional materials with micro-nano research center director Yong-Xiu , said compared with many developed countries , China has a rare application of a wide gap . However , as countries focus on different areas, some areas abroad is not as Chinese , but in many ways such as light-emitting materials , and abroad in the level of equipment is better than China , products of higher quality.

REE applications is very wide , but its use needs to study human development . Yong-Xiu , said the international community has been engaged in rare earth basic research, compared to China , foreign basic research in the application of rare earth a long time, they are not in order to study and research, but in practice , the production process , to find some of the rare earths element's use .

"Our investment in research is also great, but the earth itself and the related application development is closely related to the field of industrial level , if alone in the lab doing research , not a good industrial base and background applications , it is difficult to make achievements . " Yong-Xiu , said good industrial base overseas enterprises, application of rare earth do their own research, and more targeted, research and application in China both somewhat disjointed .


Tungsten Manufacturer & Supplier: Chinatungsten Online - http://www.chinatungsten.com
Tel.: 86 592 5129696; Fax: 86 592 5129797
Email: sales@chinatungsten.com
Tungsten & Molybdenum Information Bank: http://i.chinatungsten.com
Tungsten News & Tungsten Prices, 3G Version: http://3g.chinatungsten.com
Molybdenum News & Molybdenum Price: http://news.molybdenum.com.cn

• < Prev
• Next >