China defends rare earth export cuts

BEIJING (Commodity Online) : Defending its rare earth export cuts, China said export controls are for environmental protection reasons.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said the country will continue to export rare earth minerals.

China's limits on rare earth exports are in line with WTO rules, and that protecting this kind of resource should be a global responsibility, she added.

She also said other nations that have rare earth resources should proactively develop and make use of them. She added that China is willing to cooperate with other countries on rare earth usage.

She said China is looking for alternative resources of rare earth and improving the efficient use of resources and are looking forward to working with other countries and welcome countries with sophisticated technologies to provide technological assistance and support to us.