Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday stressed the sustainable development of rare earth mining.

China, which has a considerable percentage of the world's rare earth reserves and products, seeks a sustainable way of exploiting the minerals, Wen said at the sixth China-EU Business Summit.

"What we pursue is to satisfy not only the domestic demand but also the global demand of rare earth. We should not only stand from the present, but should also look forward to the future," Wen said.

"If the rare earth minerals were used up, how would the world and China deal with the problem?" he said.

Wen reaffirmed that proper control and regulations are important and that China will not close the market.

Wen left Greece on Monday for Belgium, the second leg of his four-nation tour, which will last until Oct. 9. The trip will also take Wen to Italy and Turkey.

During his three-day stay in Belgium, Wen also attended the eighth Asia-Europe Meeting and the 13th China-EU summit.