外
交人士和贸易专家说，西方大型企业促使中国承诺在本周举行的二十国集团(Group of 20)峰会期间放松关键的稀土出口的努力可能会因一种迹象而减弱，即中国自身已经成为最近大量贸易保护主义举措的标靶。在二十国集团会议周四和周五于首尔召开前夕，周一公布的一份由世界银行(World Bank)赞助的调查显示，美国、欧盟和二十国集团成员最近纷纷采取措施保护国内生产商，其步伐超过了其他国家，从法国10月份向国内农民支出23亿美元，到韩国挑选出100企业发放出口补贴。该研究说，中国成为了这些举措最大的标靶。
外交人士说，这份报告虽不会使世界贸易组织(World Trade Organization)作出裁决，但它凸显出针对中国的种种关税和其他贸易举措，北京将利用这些为自己的贸易政策辩护，包括它的出口关税和稀土配额。
此次会议的主办国韩国已将两项重要的贸易问题提上了会议日程。它希望成员国重申2008年时作出的承诺，不会再犯以前的保护主义的历史错误。
韩国还希望许诺通过削减关税和援助基础设施领域对发展中国家提供帮助。这些举措曾是全球贸易多哈回合谈判的内容之一，但这轮始于2001年的谈判如今已暂时搁置。
会议期间十有八九还会围绕全球经常项目失衡的问题展开对话。全球经常项目失衡在美国和两个拥有巨大贸易顺差的国家──中国和德国──之间引发了口角。
行业团体一直以来都在尽力使另一议题进入会议日程。稀土元素如钪、钇、巨是从汽车到手机等一系列产品生产过程中不可或缺的要素，它们在中国之外鲜有供应。今年前六个月中国出口了2.336亿美元的稀土金属，第二大出口国日本为2250万美元。
中国对稀土出口加征最高25%的税，自2010年7月起开始限制稀土运输，并威胁称明年将继续限制运输。今年9月，中国曾暂停对日本的稀土出口。
中国生产的稀土占世界总量的95%以上。代表欧盟企业利益的组织“商业欧洲”(Business Europe)的Carsten Dannohl说，我们现在讨论的属于垄断问题，应就稀土贸易展开正常、自由的竞争。
上周，一个颇具影响力的西方商务游说团体联盟向20国集团领袖致联名信，本周一联名信公开发表。联名信呼吁20国集团成员保持克制，不要对稀土加征出口税、实行配额或采取其他扭曲市场的措施，那样会限制全球的稀土供应，助推价格无谓的波动。
致联名信的各公司表示，它们在信中表达的核心思想是一个广泛、自由贸易运动的部分内容，该运动针对所有政府。通用汽车公司(General Motors Co.)驻布鲁塞尔的代表博克曼斯(Catherine Berckmans)说，我们反对所有出口限制。博克曼斯曾极力反对欧盟向中国产铝轮毂征收关税。他说，我们一直试图平息美国、欧盟各成员国和中国之间贸易的紧张关系。
欧盟和美国贸易官员说，他们已收到并阅读了游说团体的联名信，但对是否能够推动中国在稀土问题上放开管制没有把握。美国贸易代表柯克(Ron Kirk)将出席会议，而欧盟贸易专员Karel De Gucht则不会出席，两个人均未对联名信公开表态。
贸易问题研究机构GTA的研究协调员Simon Evenett说，为什么中国人应该听从联名信的意见呢，其他国家和地区在这方面做得也不够好。研究指出，今年6月G20峰会结束以来，20国成员共采取了94项保护主义措施，相比之下，非20国成员的其它国家只采取了44项保护措施。研究称，6月以来，全球各国政府共通过了100项削减关税和其它“自由化”等措施，其中71项是非20国成员做出的。该研究还受到德国马歇尔基金会(German Marshall Fund)和英国政府的支持。
中国已表示自己无意操纵全球贸易。相反，中国还限制稀土出口，借此将开采稀土对环境的影响降到最低程度。中国工业和信息化部发言人朱宏任上月与美国国务卿克林顿(Hillary Clinton)会晤后说，中国不会把稀土作为讨价还价的工具。
John W. Miller
（本文版权归道琼斯公司所有，未经许可不得翻译或转载。）
A push by major Western corporations to get China to promise to free up key rare-earth exports during the Group of 20 summit this week is likely to be weakened by evidence that China has itself been the target of a raft of recent protectionist trade measures, say diplomats and trade experts.
Ahead of the G-20's meeting in Seoul on Thursday and Friday, a World Bank-backed study released Monday shows the U.S., European Union and G-20 allies have recently outpaced other countries in measures that have defended domestic producers, from France's $2.3 billion payout to its farmers in October to a South Korean program that is giving export subsidies to 100 hand-picked companies. China has been the biggest target of these measures, the study said.
The report doesn't have the force of a ruling by the World Trade Organization, but it underscores tariffs and other trade measures against China that Beijing will cite to defend its trade policies, including its export taxes and quotas on rare earths, say diplomats.
South Korea, the host of the meeting, has put two big trade items on the agenda. It wants members to repeat a promise made in 2008 to not 'repeat the historic mistakes of protectionism of previous eras.'
South Korea also wants to pledge to assist developing countries by cutting tariffs and steering aid toward infrastructure. Such measures were part of the Doha Round of global trade talks, which was begun in 2001 and is now suspended.
There is also certain to be dialogue at the meeting around global current-account imbalances, which have triggered spats between the U.S. and two countries with huge trade surpluses, China and Germany.
Business groups have been trying to muscle another item onto the agenda. Rare earths such as Scandium, Yttrium and Promethium are essential ingredients for products from cars to cellphones, and they are in short supply outside China. China exported $233.6 million of rare-earth metals in the first six months of 2010. The No. 2 exporter was Japan, at $22.5 million.
China imposes taxes of up to 25% on rare-earth exports, has restricted shipments since July 2010 and is threatening to continue restrictions next year. In September, it temporarily stopped exports to Japan.
China produces over 95% of such elements. 'What we are talking about here is a monopoly,' says Carsten Dannohl of Business Europe, which represents EU companies. 'There needs to be normal, free competition on the issue.'
Last week, a coalition of powerful Western business lobby groups addressed a letter to G-20 leaders, and the letter was published Monday. It calls for G-20 members to 'refrain from export taxes, quotas or other market-distorting measures on rare-earth elements that restrict global supply and unnecessarily contribute to price volatility.'
The companies behind the letter say their message is part of a broad free-trade campaign aimed at all governments. 'We oppose all export restrictions,' says Catherine Berckmans, a Brussels-based representative for General Motors Co., which fought recent EU tariffs on Chinese wheel imports. 'We always try to calm tensions between the U.S. and EU governments, and China.'
EU and U.S. trade officials say they have received and read the letter from the lobby groups, but that they are uncertain they will be able to press China on the issue. U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk will attend the meeting, but his European counterpart Karel De Gucht won't. Neither has reacted publicly to the letter.
'Why should the Chinese listen, given the rest of the world's record?' says Simon Evenett, coordinator of the GTA study, which points out that since the last meeting of G-20 members in June, G-20 members have imposed 94 protectionist measures, compared with 44 by countries not part of the G-20. National governments have passed 100 reductions in tariffs and other 'liberalizing' measures since June, but 71 of those were by countries not in the G-20, said the study, which is also supported by the German Marshall Fund and the U.K. government.
China has said it has no plans to manipulate global trade and is instead restricting rare-earth exports to minimize the environmental impact of mining. 'China will not use rare earths as an instrument for bargaining,' said Zhu Hongren, a spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, after a meeting with Hillary Clinton last month.
John W. Miller
Ahead of the G-20's meeting in Seoul on Thursday and Friday, a World Bank-backed study released Monday shows the U.S., European Union and G-20 allies have recently outpaced other countries in measures that have defended domestic producers, from France's $2.3 billion payout to its farmers in October to a South Korean program that is giving export subsidies to 100 hand-picked companies. China has been the biggest target of these measures, the study said.
The report doesn't have the force of a ruling by the World Trade Organization, but it underscores tariffs and other trade measures against China that Beijing will cite to defend its trade policies, including its export taxes and quotas on rare earths, say diplomats.
South Korea, the host of the meeting, has put two big trade items on the agenda. It wants members to repeat a promise made in 2008 to not 'repeat the historic mistakes of protectionism of previous eras.'
South Korea also wants to pledge to assist developing countries by cutting tariffs and steering aid toward infrastructure. Such measures were part of the Doha Round of global trade talks, which was begun in 2001 and is now suspended.
There is also certain to be dialogue at the meeting around global current-account imbalances, which have triggered spats between the U.S. and two countries with huge trade surpluses, China and Germany.
Business groups have been trying to muscle another item onto the agenda. Rare earths such as Scandium, Yttrium and Promethium are essential ingredients for products from cars to cellphones, and they are in short supply outside China. China exported $233.6 million of rare-earth metals in the first six months of 2010. The No. 2 exporter was Japan, at $22.5 million.
China imposes taxes of up to 25% on rare-earth exports, has restricted shipments since July 2010 and is threatening to continue restrictions next year. In September, it temporarily stopped exports to Japan.
China produces over 95% of such elements. 'What we are talking about here is a monopoly,' says Carsten Dannohl of Business Europe, which represents EU companies. 'There needs to be normal, free competition on the issue.'
Last week, a coalition of powerful Western business lobby groups addressed a letter to G-20 leaders, and the letter was published Monday. It calls for G-20 members to 'refrain from export taxes, quotas or other market-distorting measures on rare-earth elements that restrict global supply and unnecessarily contribute to price volatility.'
The companies behind the letter say their message is part of a broad free-trade campaign aimed at all governments. 'We oppose all export restrictions,' says Catherine Berckmans, a Brussels-based representative for General Motors Co., which fought recent EU tariffs on Chinese wheel imports. 'We always try to calm tensions between the U.S. and EU governments, and China.'
EU and U.S. trade officials say they have received and read the letter from the lobby groups, but that they are uncertain they will be able to press China on the issue. U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk will attend the meeting, but his European counterpart Karel De Gucht won't. Neither has reacted publicly to the letter.
'Why should the Chinese listen, given the rest of the world's record?' says Simon Evenett, coordinator of the GTA study, which points out that since the last meeting of G-20 members in June, G-20 members have imposed 94 protectionist measures, compared with 44 by countries not part of the G-20. National governments have passed 100 reductions in tariffs and other 'liberalizing' measures since June, but 71 of those were by countries not in the G-20, said the study, which is also supported by the German Marshall Fund and the U.K. government.
China has said it has no plans to manipulate global trade and is instead restricting rare-earth exports to minimize the environmental impact of mining. 'China will not use rare earths as an instrument for bargaining,' said Zhu Hongren, a spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, after a meeting with Hillary Clinton last month.
John W. Miller
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