A Foreign Ministry spokesman defended China's policy adjustment on rare earth exports on Thursday, stating that setting quotas is aimed at protecting the environment.
EU, US and Japan requested establishing a dispute settlement panel at WTO over alleged Chinese export restrictions on rare earths, tungsten and molybdenum.
China is to invest 517 million yuan to build a modern national network to monitor movements in Earth's crust and other Earth sciences.
South Korea's rare earth imports from China surged last month due to a fall in import prices, customs data showed Thursday.
Excessive exploitation has led to the rapid decline of China’s rare earth reserves, the Beijing News reported, citing the White Paper released by the Information Office of the State Council Wednesday.
China denied on Wednesday that it had sought political benefit or increased returns by manipulating the prices of rare earths.
The Information Office of the State Council, or China's cabinet, on Wednesday published the country's first white paper on the rare earth industry.
China on Wednesday issued a white paper on rare earth industry, the first of its kind in the country, to better protect the valuable resources.
China's rare earth reserves account for approximately 23 percent of the world's total but are excessively exploited, a government white paper said Wednesday.
China, the world's top rare earth producer, said Wednesday that it will not develop its rare earth industry at the expense of the environment.
China will implement stricter environmental standards for rare earth exploitation while continuing to regulate the mining and export of rare earth. 
White paper
China is to introduce a specialized value-added tax invoice system for rare earth producers to curb rampant illegal mining and production.
China is planning to set up a national rare earth purchase-reserve mechanism to curb price fluctuations, according to a report.
The Ministry of Commerce announced Thursday additional export quotas for rare earth minerals totaling 10,680 tons.
China's recent steps to regulate the rare-earth industry are in line with WTO rules and are meant to protect the environment.
A government official said China's moves to regulate its rare earth industry are aimed at protecting the environment and sustaining growth.
A green future made possible through the use of rare earth metals seems a world away from Zhang Yang'e, whose neighborhood well has become unusable as a result of local mining operations.
China's rare earth industry established an association on Sunday with the aim of spurring healthy development in the sector.
Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Rare Earth Hi-Tech Co, the nation's largest rare earths producer, said Tuesday its net profit jumped 363.33 percent year-on-year to 3.48 billion yuan ($553.54 million) in 2011.
Rare earth minerals have caused much controversy and friction over the last few years.
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