China Issues First Batch of Commodity Export Quotas

BEIJING, Mar. 5 -- China's Ministry of Commerce (www.mofcom.gov.cn) has issued its first batch of 2010 coke export quotas for foreign-invested firms in China, setting it at 499,087 tonnes.

China in December issued its first batch of coke export quotas for 2010 at 6.1 million tonnes, up 6 percent from the first batch of 2009.

China issued a total of 11.91 million tonnes of quotas for this year, but exports have plummeted because of weak demand in overseas markets.

The Ministry also issued first batches of 2010 export quotas of 5,978 tonnes of rare earth, 355 tonnes of tungsten powder, 1,782 tonnes of antimony oxide and 148 tonnes of silver for foreign-invested firms.