Topic “China” — Exporter Magazine

A dispute between China and the US, the EU and Japan over rare earth exports has simmered for some time, and the feud has escalated with the recent involvement of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), according to Xinhua News. The U.S. Commerce Department announced a preliminary decision Tuesday to impose modest import duties on Chinese solar panels of below 5%, while continuing its probe into allegations by struggling U.S. producers that they are the victims of unfair competition, according to the Wall Street Journal. Zhu Min, an International Monetary Fund official, remains optimistic about China’s chances of avoiding economic troubles even as the latest data points to a further slump in the country’s property market, according to ChinaDaily.com. China’s e-commerce continues its rapid expansion with online sales turnover in 2011 rising by an annual 66 per cent to surpassed 780 billion yuan (USD$124 billion), according to Xinhua News. China, the biggest supplier of rare earths, may almost double exports this year and meet quotas set by the government as lower prices stimulate demand, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.