皇冠体育app

Economy

皇冠体育app willing to develop alternatives of rare earth with Japan

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-03-08 10:11

BEIJING - 皇冠体育app is willing to cooperate with Japan in developing alternatives of rare earth, Commerce Minister Chen Deming said in Beijing?Monday.

"At the current pace of rare earth use, it will not take long before the world's reserves go depleted. We hope to work with Japan and other countries to find alternative materials or recycled way of use," Chen told a press conference.

皇冠体育app has tightened the exploration of rare earth, which is a key raw material in producing electrical products but will cause heavy pollution during its development process.

Related readings:  皇冠体育app's export limits on rare earth conform with WTO rules  Rare earth industry faces reshuffle  Green standards issued for rare earths

As the world's largest rare earth producer and exporter, 皇冠体育app provides more than 90 percent of global rare earth demand, though its reserves account for only one-third of the world's total.

"皇冠体育app faces huge environmental pressure. We hope other countries could understand our measures to reduce the quota for both domestic and overseas consumers," he said.

皇冠体育app announced its first batch of 2011 rare earth export quotas at 14,446 tons at the end of 2010. The full-year quotas are under discussion.

皇冠体育app exported 35,000 tons of rare earth from January to November last year, up 14.5 percent from a year earlier. Exports to Japan, the European Union and the United States accounted for 86 percent of the total, according to the Ministry of Commerce.