中國對應WTO報告，取消稀土出口限制框架..

A few weeks ago the Yomiuri News on-line reported the following:

中国、レアアース輸出枠撤廃…ＷＴＯ報告に対応

2015年01月05日 20時20分

　【北京＝栗原守】中国政府が、レアアース（希土類）の輸出枠を撤廃したことが、商務省の輸出関連書類でわかった。

　世界貿易機関（ＷＴＯ）の紛争処理上級委員会が２０１４年８月、中国のレアアース輸出規制が、ＷＴＯ協定に違反するとの報告を発表しており、それに対応したとみられる。

　日本企業は、調達先の多様化や代替品の開発などで、中国産レアアースへの依存度を下げるよう取り組んできた。このため、中国が輸出枠を撤廃しても、日本企業がただちに中国からの調達量を増やすかどうかは不透明だ。

　中国は天然資源保護を理由に輸出枠を設定したが、日米欧から自国産業を優遇しているとして１２年、ＷＴＯに提訴され、敗訴した。今後、中国は輸出税の是正措置にも踏み切る可能性がある。

(試譯文)

The Department of Commerce’s export related documents showed that the Chinese government had abolished the export limit on rare earth.

 In August 2014 the advanced committee on dispute settlement of the World Trade Organization (WTO) announced a report that China's rare earth export regulations had violated the WTO agreement. The abolition was thought to be a response to that.

 Japanese companies had been working on the diversification of supply source and the development of substitutes so that their dependence on rare earth produced in China might be lowered. Therefore even if China’s export ceiling was abolished, it would be not clear whether Japanese companies would immediately increase the supply amount from China.

 China set up an export ceiling for reason of natural resource conservation. But because China’s own industry was being treated with preference, Japan, the United States and Europe filed a law-suit to WTO in 2012 and China was defeated. From now on there was a possibility that China might use export duty as a compensating measure.

It is an interesting trade dispute. I am interested to know whether China will use taxation to restrict the export of rare earth.