PR expert Michael Oehme explains how China facilitates access to rare earths
Implementation of the WTO ruling: China abandons its export restrictions on rare earths
St. Gallen, January 12.01.2015, 18. After the arbitration ruling of the World Trade Organization (WTO) passed in August, China appears to have decided to refrain from export restrictions for rare earths. The Ministry of Commerce in Beijing announced that in future only export permits will be required for exporting the 18 metals. According to the state newspaper "Securities News", the previously applicable extraction and export quotas for rare earths will be lifted. The WTO declared the export inadmissible in August because China's export restrictions on rare earths did not comply with its rules. "Rare earths include XNUMX metals that have valuable properties for the high-tech industry," confirms PR expert Michael Oehme. "These are required for the entire world production to manufacture computers, cell phones, batteries or flat screens."
In addition, rare earths are used in wind turbines, rockets, electric cars and energy-saving lamps. From China alone 90 percent of the world's production - the country has almost a monopoly. "However, only 23 percent of the total global reserves of rare earths in the People's Republic," said Oehme. Here was referred to the dangers exaggerated exploitation. For example, Beijing insisted that it only enacted quotas in the year 2011 in order to prevent environmental damage caused by the mining of rare earths.
The production and export quotas primarily served industrial policy goals and not - as Beijing claims - environmental protection. This confirmed the arguments of the EU, Japan and the US, which had lodged complaints against the trade restrictions. The export was restricted in 2010 on the grounds that the environment and resources were to be better protected. Beijing argues that other countries like the US have closed many mining sites for ecological reasons. “The problem is that extracting rare earths requires large amounts of acid. There is also little radioactive waste, ”explains Michael Oehme.
