Premier Wen Jiabao: China Bears no Discrimination against Foreign Enterprises in Rare Earth
Source: Portals of Ministry of Land and Resources Citation: Xinhua Net Date: Feb. 4, 2012
On February 3, premier Wen Jiabao paying a visit in Guangdong and German Prime Minister Merkel chaired the symposium with Chinese and German entrepreneurs in Guangzhou. (Photographed by Xinhua News Agency Reporter Liu Dawei)
Report on February 3 at news.cn (Reporters Tan Jingjing, Zhen Tianhong) The State Council Premier Wen Jiabao refutes the idea on China restricting the export of rare earth, saying that China bears no discrimination against the foreign enterprises. Regarding the issue of rare earth supply, Chinese enterprises and foreign enterprises enjoy the same criteria and quotas. Wen Jiabao and German Prime Minister Merkel held the symposium with Chinese and German enterprises in Guangzhou on the afternoon of the third. When replying to the German enterprises about China’s policy to restrict the export of rare earth, Premier Wen made the above statement. He said that China has exploited lots of rare earth over the past decades, failing to protecting the resources, environment and ecology and to maintain the sustainable development, and that the rare earth is priced quite low. Not until now do we realize that the development of rare earth can be sustainable. Still, we now supply rare earth for 90% of the global rare earth customers with less than 50% of global rare earth reserve. Wen stresses that Chinese government bears no discrimination against foreign enterprises concerning the export of rare earth. As regard the issue of protecting environment and ecology and maintaining the sustainable development as well as the supply of rare earth, Chinese government treats Chinese enterprises and foreign enterprises alike in the criteria and quotas. From January to November, 2011, the total of rare earth exported from China amounted to 14,750 tons, accounting for 49% of the export quota for the entire year, leaving the major of the quota in idle use. The main reason is the greatly increased price, forcing customers to transfer to other alternative products and reduce the need for rare earth.
CHINA MINING Congress and Expo 2011 attracted over 5000 delegates, exhibitors and visitors from 55 countries and regions, increasing by over 650 people as compared to the last session. There were 382 domestic and foreign exhibitors, increasing by 38% as compared to the last year. The exhibition area amounted to 25000 square meters, more than doubling that of the previous session, with 1,050 standard booths, increasing by 65% compared to the previous session. There were a total of 23 forums and 7 projects shows held with 425 promotion and negotiation projects introduced by the congress, increasing by 32.8% as compared to last year. At the project signing ceremony, 55 projects were signed, amounting to RMB15.7 billion, increasing by RMB 4 billion and by 34% as compared to the previous year. More than 40 foreign VIPs including 23 mining ministers and vice ministers as well as ambassadors in China from 18 countries and regions such as Australia, Canada, South Africa, Angola, etc. attended this session of the congress. Meanwhile, the congress attracted more than 100 medias and over 200 journalists from home and abroad to cover the congress. In terms of number of delegates and scale of exhibitors and booths, the CM2011 all topped the previous sessions, ranking the world’s premier mining congress and expo..
CHINA MINING Congress and Expo 2012 will be held at Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin on November 3rd-6th, 2012 (Expo will be opened on 3rd pm Nov., 2012). We invite you to join the event and to celebrate the 14th anniversary of CHINA MINING with us. For more information about CHINA MINING 2012, please visit:www.chinaminingtj.org
