The Ministry of Commerce will ban Chinese exporters from trading overseas if they are found violating environmental protection rules.

The suspension of trade, varying from one year to three years, punishes companies that discharge excessive pollutants or seize environmental resources illegally.

Some exporters have ignored the country's regulations on environmental protection while striving for lower costs, according to a notice jointly issued by the commerce ministry and the State Environmental Protection Administration.

The notice urged local environmental watchdogs to strengthen supervision over exporting companies, especially those that consume too much energy and resources, such as copper melting, and report violations to local commerce administrations.

The commerce ministry, based on reports from local environmental watchdogs, will authorize local departments to cease the approval of export-related applications, such as export quota and license, contract on processing, and application for participating in national or regional trade fairs, of violating companies.

The applications would be processed only when local environmental watchdogs confirmed that corrections had been made in these companies, according to the notice.

(Xinhua News Agency October 13, 2007)