美国将向世贸组织提起中国稀土问题诉讼

Officials with the Obama administration say the United States will file a new trade case against China over its limits on exports of so-called "rare earth" minerals. The officials say President Barack Obama will announce Tuesday that the U.S., along with the European Union and Japan, will file the case at the World Trade Organization. China is the world's main exporter of rare earths -- 17 minerals used in making many high-tech products including flat screen televisions, hybrid car batteries and wind turbines.

China says it has restricted the exports in recent years in order to meet its own domestic manufacturing needs, and to ease the environmental impact from excessive mining. But Patrick Chovanec, a professor at Beijing's Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management, tells VOA that the WTO has already ruled against China in a similar case. Washington says the restrictions give Chinese companies an unfair advantage by increasing production costs for foreign firms, and Chovanec suggests Beijing is trying to force high-tech manufacturers to relocate their operations to China.