BEIJING - China exported 4,738 tons of rare earth metals, ores and compounds in December, more than twice as much as in November, data supplied by China Customs Statistics Information Center, Hong Kong, an authorized supplier of Chinese customs figures, showed on Wednesday.

For the whole of 2010, China's rare earth exports fell 9.3 percent to 39,813 tons, the data showed.

The export figures were well above the 2010 quota of 30,258 tons. The additional exports may reflect shipments early in the year that were registered under unused 2009 quotas.