Drama at the WTO
China and the US are airing their issues at the WTO the last day or two. Yesterday, the US and EU jointly filed a 
complaint that China violates international trade laws by curbing exports of certain raw materials such as antimony, bauxite, indium, yellow phosphorous, magnesium carbonate, and rare earths.
(So that’s why magnesium carbonate has been so expensive lately!)
China defended its position on the raw materials, saying they are compliant with WTO regulations and the rules are in place to limit pollution, over expansion of the industry, and to stabilize the world market.
To top it all off, China is also complaining that the US-based search engine Google is contributing to obscene content, violating China’s laws, after the US voiced concern over China’s “green dam” – a filter to prevent “illegal images”.
“Critics have said the program, sold by Jinhui Computer System Engineering Co, is technically flawed and could be used to spy on users and block sites Beijing considers politically offensive.
The proposed new rules raised fundamental questions regarding the transparency of China’s regulatory practices and concerns about compliance with WTO rules, the U.S. officials said.”
The Economist has a good article about duties & exports in relation to this ongoing dispute too: Friction in World Trade: Duties Call.
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