Photo:MOFCOM

China has held the national export control work conference in Beijing on Wednesday and Thursday, mapping out priorities for 2025 to accelerate the modernization of the country's export control system, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Thursday.

The meeting noted that the current international situation is complex and severe, and the MOFCOM will work with relevant departments and localities to accelerate the improvement of the modern national export control system, continuously improve the effectiveness of export controls, coordinate development and security, and ensure high-quality development with high-level security, per a release on the MOFCOM's official website.

The meeting called for further improving the modern national export control system and better safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests by improving laws and regulations, strengthening management of listed items, enhancing licensing law enforcement, increasing multilateral and bilateral export control dialogues and exchanges, and promoting compliance, according to the release.

The two-day meeting took place against the backdrop of the US government's unilateral announcement of imposing tariffs targeting China and other nations worldwide.

Amid rising global trade tensions, the meeting highlighted China's push to strengthen its regulatory framework while balancing economic and security interests, Huo Jianguo, a vice chairman of the China Society for World Trade Organization Studies in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

In recent years, China has placed great emphasis on improving its export control system, which is fundamentally a standard trade management tool, Huo said, noting that export controls carry significant weight, serving as an important supplementary measure to address trade frictions or shield domestic markets from unfair competition.

In October 2020, China enacted the export control law, stipulating that the national export control authorities may assess destination countries and regions for controlled items, determine their risk levels and implement corresponding control measures.

On April 4, the MOFCOM and the General Administration of Customs jointly unveiled export control measures on certain items related to seven types of medium and heavy rare earths, aiming to better safeguard national security and interests and fulfill non-proliferation and other international obligations, per a notice from the MOFCOM.

"Facing unilateral trade restrictions from the US, including export controls, China needs to adopt such measures to safeguard its legitimate interests," Huo noted.

Huo further pointed out that within the multilateral framework, China's approach is both reasonable and necessary. "The country's enhanced management in fields like dual-use items and export security controls fully complies with multilateral rules and aligns with relevant provisions of domestic trade regulations," he noted.

Global Times