A World Trade Organisation (WTO)
panel today confirmed that China’s export duties and quotas imposed on
rare earths, as well as other two raw materials, tungsten and
molybdenum, are incompatible with China’s WTO obligations. The report
released today concludes the dispute settlement panel proceedings
launched jointly by the EU, US and Japan in March 2012.
Which raw materials are at issue in this case?
Rare earths
are 17 chemical elements in the periodic table, specifically 15
lanthanides (lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium,
samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium,
thulium, ytterbium, lutetium), as well as scandium and yttrium.