MNI BRIEF: China Export Controls Concerning - European Chamber

China’s export control regime continues to create operational challenges for European companies, according to the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, citing a survey released Monday that showed 40% of respondents found the export-licence approval process exceeded the official 45-day timeframe.

The bottlenecks have disrupted delivery schedules, with 40% of surveyed firms indicating that export-control approvals have added more than two months to delivery times for affected goods, the chamber said.

Jens Eskelund, president of the Chamber in China, said the export-control framework has triggered strong reactions from China’s trading partners, “adding further pressure to a global trade system that was already under significant strain.”

Talks between the EU and China to loosen restrictions on rare earth exports are making little progress, policy advisors in Beijing recently told MNI, as EU officials said Brussels has decided to elevate the danger posed by China to its key industries to a fixed subject for discussion at regular meetings of the bloc’s finance ministers. (See: MNI: Rare Earths Deadlock As EU Elevates China)