China has scrapped volume restrictions on exports of rare earths but companies will still require a licence to sell the minerals, the country's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) revealed in its 2015 trading guidelines, released on 31 December. The removal of the export limits was announced as part of MOF-COM's guidance on quota licensing, bidding and licence management, covering 48 types of goods including bauxite, magnesia, fluorspar and phosphate rock. The decision to axe rare earths quotas follows a March 2014 ruling by the World Trade Organization (WTO) that China's export restrictions contravened international trade rules.
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