US brings WTO case against China on minerals

The U.S. on Wednesday accused China of failing to remove export duties on certain raw materials, as agreed when it entered the World Trade Organization 15 years ago, the latest in a series of trade disputes between the two countries, The Wall Street Journal reports. China has kept export duties ranging from 5% to 20% on antimony, cobalt, copper, graphite, lead, magnesia, talc, tantalum and tin, U.S. officials said in a new WTO case filed against Beijing. The duties, levied on shipments out of China, have the effect of making the minerals cheaper within the country, promoting manufacturing there in areas ranging from electronics to automobiles, while making the minerals relatively more expensive outside China.