According to the website of the Ministry of Commerce, in order to protect resources and the environment and strengthen the management of rare metal exports, and in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Foreign Trade Law of the People's Republic of China and the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on the Administration of the Import and Export of Goods, the Ministry of Commerce has formulated the "Application Conditions and Procedures for State-owned Trade Enterprises Exporting Tungsten, Antimony, and Silver for the 2026-2027 Period", which is now announced.
Original text as follows:
Announcement No. 68 of 2025 of the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China: Application Conditions and Procedures for State-owned Trade Enterprises Exporting Tungsten, Antimony, and Silver for the 2026-2027 Period
[Issuing Unit] Department of Foreign Trade
[Document Number] Ministry of Commerce Announcement No. 68 of 2025
[Issuance Date] Oct 26, 2025
In order to protect resources and the environment and strengthen the management of rare metal exports, and in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Foreign Trade Law of the People's Republic of China and the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on the Administration of the Import and Export of Goods, the Ministry of Commerce has formulated the "Application Conditions and Procedures for State-owned Trade Enterprises Exporting Tungsten, Antimony, and Silver for the 2026-2027 Period", which is now announced.
Ministry of Commerce
Oct 26, 2025
2026—2027 Application Conditions and Procedures for State-owned Trade Enterprises Exporting Tungsten, Antimony, and Silver
I. Application Conditions for State-owned Trade Enterprises Exporting Tungsten
(I) Producer.
1. Possess independent legal person status, with a bank credit line of no less than 200 million yuan.
2. Passed ISO9000-series quality system certification.
3. Comply with national work safety and other relevant laws and regulations, and implement work safety responsibilities. Legally participate in various social insurance schemes such as pension, unemployment, medical care, work-related injury, and maternity, and make full and timely contributions; passed OHSAS18000/ISO45001 occupational health and safety system certification.
4. For enterprises already holding export qualifications, they must have actual tungsten export performance each year from 2022 to 2024 (for enterprises obtaining state-owned trade export qualifications after 2022, they must have actual tungsten export performance each year from the year of qualification acquisition to 2024); new applicants must have an average annual export supply volume of no less than 2,000 mt (equivalent to ammonium paratungstate, APT) over the past three years. Actual export performance is based on customs statistics, and export supply performance is based on data verified by nationwide social organizations.
If the products produced by the enterprise are listed in the "Catalog of China's High-tech Products for Export" issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Finance, State Taxation Administration, and General Administration of Customs, or the "Catalog of China's High-tech Products" issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology, or are high-tech products certified by the Ministry of Science and Technology, standards may be appropriately lowered upon discussion with relevant departments depending on the specific product.
5. Obtained ISO14000-series environmental management system certification.
6. The enterprise operates legally and compliantly, conforms to laws and regulations on work safety, environmental protection, taxation, customs, and foreign exchange control, and has no uncorrected illegal or non-compliant activities.
(II) Trader.
1. Possess independent legal person status, with a bank credit line of no less than 200 million yuan.
2. Have actual tungsten export performance each year from 2022 to 2024 (based on customs statistics).
3. Legally participate in various social insurance schemes such as pension, unemployment, medical care, work-related injury, and maternity, and make full and timely contributions.
4. Passed ISO9000-series quality system certification.
5. The enterprise operates legally and compliantly, conforms to laws and regulations on taxation, customs, and foreign exchange control, and has no uncorrected illegal or non-compliant activities.
II. Application Conditions for State-owned Trade Enterprises Exporting Antimony
(I) Producer.
1. Possess independent legal person status.
2. Passed ISO9000-series quality system certification.
3. Comply with national work safety and other relevant laws and regulations, and implement work safety responsibilities. Legally participate in various social insurance schemes such as pension, unemployment, medical care, work-related injury, and maternity, and make full and timely contributions.
4. For enterprises already holding export qualifications, they must have actual antimony export performance each year from 2022 to 2024 (for enterprises obtaining state-owned trade export qualifications after 2022, they must have actual antimony export performance each year from the year of qualification acquisition to 2024); new applicants must have an average annual export supply volume of no less than 7,000 mt (refined antimony) or 5,000 mt (antimony oxide) over the past three years. Actual export performance is based on customs statistics, and export supply performance is based on data verified by nationwide social organizations.
For enterprises whose products are listed in the "Catalogue of China's High-Tech Products for Export" jointly issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Finance, State Taxation Administration, and General Administration of Customs, or in the "Catalogue of China's High-Tech Products" issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology, or are recognized as high-tech products by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the relevant standards may be appropriately lowered upon consultation with the relevant authorities based on the specific circumstances of the products.
5. Possession of ISO 14000-series environmental management system certification.
6. The enterprise operates legally and compliantly, adheres to laws and regulations on work safety, environmental protection, taxation, customs, and foreign exchange management, and has no uncorrected violations of laws or regulations.
(II) Trading Enterprises.
1. Possession of independent legal person status.
2. A record of antimony export performance for each year from 2022 to 2024 (based on customs statistics).
3. Legal participation in various social insurance schemes, including pension, unemployment, medical care, work-related injury, and maternity insurance, with full and timely premium payments.
4. Certification under the ISO 9000-series quality management system.
5. The enterprise operates legally and compliantly, adheres to laws and regulations on taxation, customs, and foreign exchange management, and has no uncorrected violations of laws or regulations.
III. Application Conditions for Silver Export State Trading Enterprises
(I) Producers.
1. Possession of independent legal person status.
2. For enterprises already holding export qualifications: a record of silver export performance for each year from 2022 to 2024 (for enterprises obtaining state trading export qualifications after 2022, a record of silver export performance for each year from the year of qualification acquisition to 2024). For new applicants: annual silver production of 80 mt or more in 2024 (for new applicants in the western region, the requirement may be relaxed to 40 mt or more). Export performance shall be based on customs statistics, and production volume shall be based on production data provided by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) or verified domestic sales figures reviewed by a national-level social organization.
For enterprises whose products are listed in the "Catalogue of China's High-Tech Products for Export" jointly issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Finance, State Taxation Administration, and General Administration of Customs, or in the "Catalogue of China's High-Tech Products" issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology, or are recognized as high-tech products by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the relevant standards may be appropriately lowered upon consultation with the relevant authorities based on the specific circumstances of the products.
3. Compliance with national laws and regulations on work safety and other relevant areas, and implementation of work safety responsibilities. Legal participation in various social insurance schemes, including pension, unemployment, medical care, work-related injury, and maternity insurance, with full and timely premium payments.
4. Certification under the ISO 9000-series quality management system and the ISO 14000-series environmental management system.
5. The enterprise operates legally and compliantly, adheres to laws and regulations on work safety, environmental protection, taxation, customs, and foreign exchange management, and has no uncorrected violations of laws or regulations.
(II) Circulation Enterprises.
1. Possess independent legal person status.
2. Had actual performance in silver exports for each year from 2022 to 2024 (based on customs statistics).
3. Legally participate in various social insurance schemes such as pension, unemployment, medical care, work-related injury, and maternity, and make full and timely social insurance premium payments.
4. Have passed the ISO 9000-series quality management system certification.
5. The enterprise operates legally and compliantly, adheres to tax, customs, and foreign exchange laws and regulations, and has no uncorrected illegal or non-compliant activities.
IV. Relevant Review and Application Procedures
Enterprises meeting the application conditions stipulated herein shall submit their applications to the competent commerce department of the province, autonomous region, municipality directly under the central government, city specifically designated in the state plan, or the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps where they are located (hereinafter referred to as the provincial-level commerce department). The provincial-level commerce department shall compile the applications from enterprises within its administrative region and mail the list of applying enterprises and their application materials to the Ministry of Commerce by November 12, 2025. Central state-owned enterprises shall submit their applications and relevant materials (electronic versions) directly to the Ministry of Commerce.
Mailing (Submission) Address: Administrative Service Hall, Ministry of Commerce, No. 2 East Chang'an Avenue, Beijing (Tungsten, Antimony, Silver); Contact Telephone: 010-65197970; Postal Code: 100731. The envelope or surface of the logistics carton containing the application materials must be marked with "Item Number: 18013-008" (Tungsten), "Item Number: 18013-009" (Antimony), or "Item Number: 18013-010" (Silver).
The Ministry of Commerce will review the applying enterprises. The list of enterprises passing the preliminary review will be published on the Ministry of Commerce website for a 7-day public notice period. During the public notice period, if there are objections to the published list, an objection application should be submitted to the Ministry of Commerce (Department of Foreign Trade), which will provide a response within 7 working days upon receiving the application. If no objections are raised by the end of the public notice period, the Ministry of Commerce will proceed with the filing and publicly announce the list of qualified enterprises.
V. Materials to Be Submitted
Enterprises applying for the state-run trade of tungsten, antimony, and silver exports must submit the following materials when applying:
(I) An official letter, signed by the legal representative of the applying enterprise and affixed with the enterprise seal, committing to the authenticity and validity of the submitted materials.
(II) A copy of the business license of the applying enterprise, its customs registration code, and enterprise code.
(III) Certificates for the ISO 9000-series quality management system and the ISO 14000-series environmental management system.
(IV) Relevant proof of full and timely payments for various social insurance schemes, including pension, unemployment, medical care, work-related injury, and maternity, for the period January to September 2025.
(5) Newly applying producers of tungsten and antimony shall provide the list of export supply circulation enterprises for the corresponding products from 2022 to 2024, the supply quantities, and copies of the corresponding VAT invoices or proof of agency export goods.
(6) Newly applying producers for the state trading of silver exports shall provide proof of production for 2024.
(7) Enterprises applying for state trading of tungsten exports shall also submit the following materials:
1. Proof of bank credit line.
2. OHSAS18001/ISO45001:2007 Occupational Health and Safety Management System certification.
Ministry of Commerce
Oct 29, 2025
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