The Association of China Rare Earth Industry Founded to Cope with International Trade Disputes

On April 8, the long-awaited Association of China Rare Earth Industry was eventually founded in Beijing. The association is composed of 155 members including Chinalco,Minmetals, Baotou Steel Group and Ganzhou Rare Earth, etc., covering nearly all rare earth enterprises of China. As an enterprises association, the association will play an important role in properly solving international trade disputes.

Initiated by 13 units including Chinalco,Minmetals and NFC, Association of China Rare Earth Industry is a Level-1 industrial association jointly set up by 142 enterprises all over China, covering all sections of the industrial chain of China’s rare earth industry, such as mine, smelting, separation and application,etc..

Officials from members of the inter-ministerial coordination mechanism for rare metals such as NDRC, MLR, MOR and MOC and relevant departments of the State Council attended the founding ceremony of the association. Gan Yong, Vice President of Chinese Academy of Engineering, acts as director of the association;he is also chairman of The Chinese Society of Rare Earths.

In the founding ceremony, Su Bo, Vice Minister of MIIT indicated that the Association of China Rare Earth Industry will actively provide relevant departments and local governments with support and services; carry out industrial self-regulation and enterprise rights protection,etc., actively coordinate the relationship between R&D institutions, manufacturers and downstream users, and standardize industrial order.

Zhang Anwen, deputy secretary general of The Chinese Society of Rare Earths, told the reporter, the society focuses on academic exchanges and does not intervene deeply in coordination of international trade disputes. While the Association of China Rare Earth Industry is the combination of rear earth enterprises, naturally, the association will make a difference in this aspect.

Su Bo also noted that China would continue to regulate rare earth industrial environment, implement more rigorous environment-friendly policies on exploitation of rare earth resources,and speed up to organize large rare earth enterprises, etc.