A representative from local enterprises look at the display case of rare-earth metals and oxides at the National Center of Quality Supervision and Inspection for Tungsten and Rare Earth Products (NCQSIFTREP) in Ganzhou, East China's Jiangxi Province on Friday. Photo: Li Hao/GT

New rules have been released on the management of tungsten, antimony and silver exports subject to state trading for the 2020-21 period, part of China's move to step up the protection of resources and the environment, according to a statement on the Ministry of Commerce website.

The rules include standards for domestic manufacturers and traders that want to apply for export qualifications, including credit loan quotas and 2016-18 exports that exceeded designated levels. 

For exports classified as high-technology products, the standards can be lowered, it said.

"This will help curb indiscriminate mining and smuggling of rare metals," said Wu Chenhui, an independent industry analyst. 

China is a major exporter of rare metals, shipping these items to markets including the US, the EU and Japan.

China exported 37,377.91 tons of tungsten products in 2018, equivalent to 31,000 tons of the metal, up 6.54 percent year-on-year, the China Tungsten Industry Association reported, citing customs data. The material can be used for manufacturing light filaments and optical instruments.

In China, exports of the three rare metals  - as well as some types of grain and gasoline - are subject to state trading management. Under this system, companies and traders that don't obtain approval can't engage in the export of relevant products.


Newspaper headline: Nation releases new rules on management of rare metal exports