China's foreign minister dismisses European worries over rare earths
BERLIN - China's foreign minister downplayed European worries over rare earth exports restrictions on Thursday, saying it was standard practise to control dual-use goods exports but that Europe's needs could be met if applications were submitted.
Wang Yi was speaking in Berlin during a joint news conference with his German counterpart, on the second leg of a European tour seeking to lay the groundwork for a summit between EU and Chinese leaders later this month.
"Rare earths have not been, are not, and will not be a problem between China and Europe, or between China and Germany," Wang said. "If legal applications are submitted, Europe's and Germany's normal needs can be met."
China, which controls over 90% of global processing capacity for rare earths used in everything from automobiles to home appliances, had imposed restrictions in early April requiring exporters to obtain licenses from Beijing.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the restrictions were causing "great concern" and tarnishing China's image in Germany as a reliable trade partner.
"We are on the path to finding sustainable joint solutions that will bring the necessary detente," he said.
But when Wang was asked if an agreement could be reached on restrictions ahead of the EU-China summit, he said: "This is not an issue between China and Europe... controlling dual-use goods is standard practice. China and Germany both have the right to do so."
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Seller's stamp duty rates for private homes raised; holding period increased from 3 years to 4
Singapore 193ha of land off Changi to be reclaimed for aviation park; area reduced to save seagrass meadow
Business More Singapore residents met CPF Required Retirement Sum when they turned 55 in 2024
Singapore PAP questions Pritam's interview with Malaysian podcast, WP says PAP opposing for the sake of opposing
Sport 'Pedal to the metal' for next 2 years, says Singaporean powerlifter Farhanna Farid
Singapore 1 in 4 appeals to waive HDB wait-out period for private home owners approved since Sept 2022
Sport A true fans' player – Liverpool supporters in Singapore pay tribute to late Diogo Jota
Singapore Healthcare facility planned for site of Ang Mo Kio Public Library after it moves to AMK Hub
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce already has a fast-track procedure in place to ensure that normal approvals are processed as quickly as possible, he added.
Wang came to Berlin from Brussels, where he met with EU officials including the bloc's high representative for foreign policy Kaja Kallas, who also urged Wang to end rare earth export restrictions.
Wadephul said the two foreign ministers also discussed Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Taiwan and the crisis in the Middle East.
"We believe China can play a constructive role in relation to Iran," he said. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
15 minutes ago
- Straits Times
The two Panchen Lamas: China's role in Tibet and the clash with the Dalai Lama
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Gyaltsen Norbu, the 11th Panchen Lama and a delegate of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), speaks to an elderly delegate as they leave after the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, March 3, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo BEIJING/DHARAMSHALA, India - Weeks before the Dalai Lama ruled out China's role in choosing his successor, President Xi Jinping met a Tibetan Buddhist monk installed three decades ago by Beijing as the faith's No. 2 leader, the Panchen Lama. The monk was appointed after the six-year-old chosen by the Dalai Lama for the position disappeared. The June 6 meeting, in which the Panchen Lama affirmed his support for the Communist Party, and the Dalai Lama's rejection this week of a role for China in his reincarnation underline the schism between Beijing and the Buddhist spiritual leader, who fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet. China considers the Dalai Lama a separatist and wants to bring Tibetan Buddhism under its control but the Dalai Lama and his huge following have been obstacles to that ambition. The declaration by the Dalai Lama that he will be reincarnated was welcomed by his followers as signifying the continuation of the 600-year-old institution central to Tibetan Buddhism. But many of them also fear Beijing will use his eventual death and succession to split the faith, with one new Dalai Lama named by followers of the Dalai Lama and one by the government. The possibility is not lost on the Dalai Lama, who told Reuters in 2019 that "in case you see two Dalai Lamas come ... nobody will respect (the one chosen by China)". The Dalai Lama turns 90 on Sunday and he said this week that upon his death only a non-profit organisation he has set up in India would be able to identify his successor. He previously said his reincarnation will be born outside China. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Seller's stamp duty hike will curb short-term speculation; market effect likely minimal: Analysts Singapore Foreigners taking on platform work illegally; NTUC calls for work group to look into issue World Trump says countries to start paying tariffs on Aug 1, floats range of 10% to 70% Singapore Sengkang murder: Man accused of killing elderly mother escorted back to crime scene Singapore Tourism bump from Lady Gaga concerts raked in up to estimated $150m for Singapore economy Singapore Jail for man who recruited 2 Japanese women for prostitution at MBS Asia Malaysia dismantles ISIS network involving workers from Bangladesh Life Book review: OB Markers sequel Ink And Influence makes catch-22 proposal for The Straits Times Beijing though says it has the right to approve the Dalai Lama's successor as a legacy from imperial times. The Panchen Lama is one of the senior Buddhist clerics who are supposed to help identify the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. The child in Tibet who the Dalai Lama chose as the 11th Panchen Lama disappeared in May, 1995 and has not been seen since. A few months later, the Chinese government appointed Gyaltsen Norbu as the Panchen Lama. "The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, Panchen and other great living Buddhas is carried out in accordance with strict religious rituals and historical customs... and approved by the central government," China's foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday. At the meeting with Xi, Norbu vowed to "firmly support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party", Chinese state media said. Tibetan officials living in exile in India, like the Dalai Lama, said it was exactly the kind of political interference that they wanted to avoid in the eventual succession of the Dalai Lama. "Many people call him a fake Panchen, but officially, we call him the Chinese Panchen," Tenzin Lekshay, an official of the Tibetan government in exile in India, said about Norbu. "Once he was appointed by China, he had to show allegiance to them." LIVES IN BEIJING Norbu is a senior member of the Chinese People's Consultative Conference, a rubber-stamp political advisory body, and vice president of the state-controlled Buddhist Association of China. He does not live at the Panchen Lama's traditional seat, Tashi Lunpo monastery in Tibet's Shigatse city, but in Beijing and visits Tibet for a few months each year to meet government officials and take part in religious ceremonies, according to Chinese state media. Norbu's movements are heavily controlled by the Chinese government and he does not have unfettered access to the public, according to foreign scholars. He went to Buddhist-majority Thailand in 2019, his first visit outside greater China. Local media in Nepal said last year that the government there shot down a proposal by Norbu to visit Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha. A spokesperson for Nepal's foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Tibetan activists living abroad and Tibetan officials in India say, based on their conversations with friends and family in Tibet, that Norbu is not held in high esteem among ethnic Tibetans in China. Photos of his predecessor, the 10th Panchen Lama Choekyi Gyaltsen, are widely displayed in monasteries and religious buildings across Tibet and Tibetan-majority areas of China, as seen during various visits across the region by Reuters journalists. At last month's meeting in Zhongnanhai, the Communist Party's leadership compound in Beijing, Xi implored Norbu to "advance the systematic promotion of the Sinicisation of religion', according to state news agency Xinhua. The term refers to a years-long push to bring all organised religions in China under greater Communist Party ideological control. It was part of a series of pronouncements taken by China's senior leadership in the weeks leading up to the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday on Sunday, according to state media reports. These include security czar Chen Wenqing's warning against separatism during a visit last month to Qinghai province, which has a large ethnic Tibetan population. For ordinary Tibetans living abroad, Norbu is just another monk from their community. "I don't believe him as a Panchen Lama," said Tenzin Kunsel, an Indian-born Tibetan who is now an Australian citizen. "I still strongly believe in the Panchen Lama who was selected by His Holiness." REUTERS
CNA
31 minutes ago
- CNA
China spares major cognac makers from EU brandy dumping duties
SHANGHAI: China spared major cognac producers Pernod Ricard and Remy Cointreau from new duties of up to 35 per cent on EU brandy announced on Friday (Jul 4), provided they sell at a minimum price. China's Commerce Ministry issued its final ruling following an investigation into brandy originating in the European Union, most of it cognac from France, first launched last year. Duties of up to 34.9 per cent for a period of five years starting from Jul 5, 2025 would be levied on those without minimum price commitments or those that breached promised minimums, the ministry said in a statement. It did not disclose the minimum prices. French cognac makers have complained they are collateral damage in a broader trade row between Brussels and Beijing over import tariffs imposed on China-made electric vehicles (EVs). Last October, China imposed temporary anti-dumping measures of up to 39 per cent on imports of brandy from the EU, including on French brands including Hennessy and Remy Martin, after the European Union accused Beijing of giving its auto industry unfair subsidies, and imposed duties on imports of Chinese-made EVs. Monthly cognac exports to China, the world's most valuable market for the spirit, have fallen by as much as 70 per cent due to the trade dispute, according to data from the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC), an industry body. Last week Reuters reported that French cognac makers had reached a tentative deal on minimum import prices for the Chinese market, but that China would only finalise the deal if progress was made regarding EU tariffs on Chinese-made EVs. Pernod Ricard, Remy Cointreau, LVMH's and Campari did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday.
Business Times
38 minutes ago
- Business Times
A*Star, Siemens launch manufacturing R&D collaboration in Asean
[Singapore] The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) and German industrial manufacturer Siemens signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Friday (Jul 4) to jointly develop smart and sustainable manufacturing solutions for companies in Singapore and the broader Asean region. The collaboration seeks to address key industrial challenges by enabling faster access to advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and automation expertise, while promoting manufacturing processes that align with international sustainability standards. A key component of the partnership is the Smart and Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing (SSAM) Catalyst, an innovation sandbox hosted at A*Star's Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC). Siemens is the first technology partner to join the SSAM Catalyst, contributing a portfolio of automation, electrification, industrial software and AI solutions. These capabilities span the entire product lifecycle – from design and engineering to manufacturing and operations – offering manufacturers a platform to test and refine technologies in sectors such as aerospace, fast-moving consumer goods, biomedical and semiconductor equipment manufacturing. The ARTC seeks to establish an innovation ecosystem involving technology providers, solution integrators, and end-users to jointly develop solutions for practical application. Leveraging its capabilities in manufacturing processes, smart manufacturing, sustainability analytics, precision imaging and autonomous systems, it provides support to companies looking to adapt their operations amid changing industry conditions. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up Paving the way for more sustainable manufacturing Beyond the SSAM Catalyst, A*Star's Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment and Siemens are collaborating on research projects targeting decarbonisation in the chemicals and energy sectors. The collaboration also involves exploring the use of Siemens' Digital Twin technology, which allows chemical engineers to simulate and optimise chemical processes and design production facilities. This technology aims to support better integration of engineering and operations in manufacturing plants, potentially helping companies manage plant design complexity and shorten construction schedules. 'Together with Siemens, we are developing solutions that will accelerate digital transformation and support decarbonisation efforts across the region. This multi-faceted collaboration looks to strengthen Singapore's position as a regional hub for smart and sustainable manufacturing in Asean,' said Professor Lim Keng Hui, assistant chief executive of A*Star's science and engineering research council.
