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2010-9-27 00:23
Japan’s government has suggested Chinese officials may have violated global trade rules by blocking shipments of strategically important minerals to Japan amid a dispute over Tokyo’s detention of a Chinese fishing boat captain.
Akihiro Ohata, ministry of economy, trade and industry, said Japanese importers had told his ministry that shipments of so-called rare earth metals had been intentionally held up at Chinese ports. China is the source for about 97 per cent of rare earths, which are crucial to the manufacture of high-tech products from video cameras to wind turbines. “We have received information that the Chinese commerce ministry has directed that new contracts and shipments of rare earths to Japan be suspended, and that the ministry’s export licence system has been closed to new applications,” Mr Ohata said. He added that if the reports proved to be true, Japan would consider lodging a complaint with the World Trade Organisation. “We would take appropriate rules-based action,” he said. Chinese officials have denied ordering an embargo on Japan-bound goods. However, Beijing’s angry response to the arrest of the boat captain – who Japanese authorities decided on Friday to release – has fanned the belief that it might retaliate by restricting trade. Wen Jiabao, China’s premier, warned this week that Japan would “bear all the consequences” of holding Zhan Qixiong, the captain, whose vessel had collided with Japanese coast guard ships in waters claimed by both countries. Tokyo prosecutors cited the need to protect “future Japan-China relations” in freeing Mr Zhan. Traders contacted by the Financial Times said the situation at Chinese ports was unclear. While it appeared certain that exports of rare earths and perhaps other goods had encountered delays in recent days, evidence linking them to official Chinese policy was sketchy. A large Japanese specialist importer of rare earths said a shipment that was supposed to leave Shanghai on Tuesday “never made it on to the ship. But that happens a lot, and we don’t know if it was a paperwork problem or an intentional hold-up.” Dudley Kingsnorth, executive director of the Industrial Metals Company of Australia, said there was talk among traders that an informal ban had been implemented. “China has requested from a number of people that they suspend rare earth exports to Japan until the end of the month and then they will re-evaluate,” he said. The flow of many Japan-bound goods at Chinese air and seaports appeared to have slowed, said an official at one of Japan’s largest trading companies. But she added that the company’s representatives in China had not been informed by local authorities of any official action, and that a string of national holidays in China in late September and early October often leads to shipping delays. Rare earths exports are already a sensitive issue in Japan, which is the world’s largest importer of the minerals. Government and business leaders have expressed concerns about moves by China to cut general export quotas and raise export taxes. Toyota Tsusho, the trading arm of the Toyota automobile group, is developing untapped deposits in India and Vietnam in order to reduce its reliance on Chinese supplies. 日本政府暗示，中国官员可能违反了全球贸易规则——在中日两国就日本政府扣押中国渔船船长一事发生争议之际，中方禁止向日本出口具有战略重要性的矿物。
日本经济产业大臣大畠章宏(Akihiro Ohata)表示，日本进口商已告知经济产业省(Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)，装船的稀土金属一直被有意扣在中国的港口。稀土金属对于许多高科技产品的制造都至关重要，涉及从摄像机到风力涡轮机的许多行业。全球约97%的稀土源自于中国。 “我们获悉，中国商务部已发出指示，暂停对日出口稀土金属的新合约和发货，该部已不接受新的出口许可申请，”大畠章宏表示。 大畠章宏补充称，如果这些报告被证实确有其事，日本将考虑向世界贸易组织(WTO)提出申诉。“我们将根据规则，采取适当的行动，”他表示。 中国官员已否认对出口日本的货物下达了禁运令。然而，中国政府对日方扣押中国渔船船长——日本当局周五已决定将他释放——一事的愤怒反应不禁令人相信，中方可能会通过限制贸易来实施报复。 中国总理温家宝本周警告称，对于扣押中方船长詹其雄，日本将“承担全部责任”。詹其雄的船只在中日两国都宣称拥有主权的海域与日本海上保安厅巡视船相撞。日本检察官在宣布释放詹其雄时表示，此举是出于维护“未来日中关系”的需要。 英国《金融时报》联系上的贸易商表示，中国港口的情况仍不明朗。尽管似乎可以肯定，近些天，稀土金属、或许还有其它货物的出口有些延迟，但这些延迟是否与中国官方政策有关的证据仍不确凿。 日本一家专业稀土金属进口商表示，一船本应于周二离开上海港的货物“还没有装船。但这种事情常常发生，我们不知道这是由于文书问题，还是有意耽搁。” 澳大利亚工业矿物有限公司(Industrial Metals Company of Australia)常务董事达德利?金司诺司(Dudley Kingsnorth)表示，贸易商当中有传言称，中方已实施了非正式禁令。 “中方已责令许多出口商在月底以前暂停向日本出口稀土金属，之后再重新进行评估，”金司诺司表示。 日本最大一家贸易公司的一位管理人士表示，中国航空港和海港许多出口日本货物的发货似乎有所减速。但她补充道，其所在公司的驻华代表，尚未接到地方当局将采取任何官方行动的通知，而中国9月下旬和10月初的一连串国定假日，往往也会导致货运延迟。 在日本，稀土金属出口本已是一个敏感话题——日本是全球最大的矿物进口国。对于中国削减总出口额度、并提高出口税的举动，日本政商领袖均表示关切。 丰田汽车集团(Toyota)旗下的贸易部门丰田通商株式会社(Toyota Tsusho)正在印度和越南开发未开采的稀土矿，以降低对中国供应的依赖。 译者/何黎 |