China’s economic development is highly dependent on export, and most of its outbound products are resource-intensive and labor-intensive. Such export model not only consumes a huge amount of available natural resources, but causes serious environmental pollution. In this context, it has become a social consensus to restrict the exports of raw materials that are mainly derived from exhaustible natural resources, so as to protect the environment and people’s health, safeguard national security, and sustain socio-economic development. The content of this book unfolds along the cardinal line of how to restrict the exports of raw materials legally and effectively under the WTO framework. The author firstly clarifies the implications and classification of export restrictions, and then argues that it is China’s vested right to directly restrict its exports according to law, and in the meantime impose indirect restrictions, e.g., levy resource environment tax and carbon tax, and scrap export tax rebates.

Wang Lan, Doctor of Letters in Law, is Associate Professor and Master’s Supervisor of the Law School, Northwest Normal University; and member of the WTO Law Research Society of China Law Society.