AKIPRESS.COM - The World Trade Organization ruled on Wednesday that China had acted inconsistently with WTO rules with regard to the export measures imposed on the rare earth materials.

In regard of the dispute case which was brought against China by the European Union, Japan and the United States in 2012 to WTO, the panel report, circulated Wednesday afternoon, said that China's export duty, export quota, and export quota administration and allocation measures imposed on rare earths, tungsten and molybdenum products were inconsistent with the WTO rules and China's Accession Protocol.

Meanwhile, the panel recognized China's comprehensive resource and environment conservation measures taken for the products at issue, and rejected EU's claim that the "export performance" requirement imposed by Chinese government on enterprises applying for molybdenum export quotas discriminated foreign enterprises.

The head of the Department of Treaty and Law in the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement that China welcomed the panel's ruling in regard of the "export performance" and regretted on its ruling over the measures taken by China over the exportation of rare earth materials.

The head pointed out that facing increasing resource and environment pressure, Chinese government has been reinforcing and improving its comprehensive regulation on high-polluting, high-energy-consuming and resource-consuming products in recent years, in an effort to respond to the needs to conserve exhaustible natural resources and protect environment, Xinhua said.