3) China issues new quota for rare earth export

China issues new quota figures last week.

China issued new quota figures last week that would double its second quarter export quota for rare earth metals used in the production of mobile phones and other high-tech gadgets. The numbers would allegedly keep annual exports of the strategic resource on par with last year's levels by raising the second quarter export cap to 15,738 tons, a 97.3 percent increase over a year before. But European Union officials and traders argue the new quota effectively decreases exports of the key minerals because it has been amended to include ferroalloys, which contain rare earth metals. “This is highly disappointing,” EU trade spokesman John Clancy said in a statement. “The EU continues to encourage the Chinese authorities to revisit their export restrictions policy to ensure there is full, fair, predictable and non-discriminatory access to rare earth supplies as well as other raw materials for EU industries.” The new quota came after extensive lobbying efforts by officials from the U.S. and Europe and on the heels of a World Trade Organization ruling that China had broken trade law restricting foreign sales of eight raw materials.