Japan raises concerns over rare earth export curbs at APEC meeting
Motegi calls for a free, fair and rules-based economic order, while China’s Wang Yi and Wang Wentao stress multilateral trade and free trade.
- During an APEC ministerial meeting, Japan's industry minister, Ryosei Akazawa, criticized China's controls on rare earth exports.
- The minister argued against arbitrary restrictions on critical mineral shipments, citing concerns that they could disrupt supply chains.
- Japan's Foreign Minister also spoke out against protectionism and economic coercion, calling for a stronger, rules-based international economic order.
Japan’s industry minister, Ryosei Akazawa, criticised China’s controls on rare earth exports during Tuesday’s online Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ministerial meeting.
He argued against arbitrary restrictions on critical mineral shipments that could interrupt supply chains.
China will host APEC leaders in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on November 18–19.
Cooperation on artificial intelligence and the digital economy will be central to the summit’s agenda, according to the APEC Secretariat.
China’s commerce minister, Wang Wentao, called for a commitment to free trade.
His fellow co-chair, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, emphasised the importance of maintaining the multilateral trading system.
Wang Yi also pointed to difficulties facing economic globalisation, apparently referring to a US trade policy that prioritises the country’s own interests.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi’s appeal appeared to reflect concerns about protectionism and economic coercion.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry quoted him on Wednesday as linking growing global economic uncertainty to the need for a stronger international economic order.
“In today's world, where uncertainty in the global economy is ever-increasing, it is crucial to strengthen a free, fair and rules-based international economic order,” Motegi told the meeting.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
