BEIJING  Prime Minister Wen Jiabao of China has told European political and business leaders that China has not imposed any bans on exports of industrial minerals for political purposes, and that it does not intend to stop exports in the future, according to a report on Friday in China Daily.

But rare earth industry executives said that as of Thursday, Chinese customs officials were still refusing to let any rare earth minerals be loaded aboard ships bound for Japan. Rare earths are used in the manufacture of hybrid gasoline-electric cars, computer screens, large wind turbines and many other applications.

Mr. Wen made his remarks in a speech on Wednesday at a China-European Union business meeting in Brussels. Chinese officials have consistently taken the position that they have not imposed any regulations banning rare earth exports; any such regulations could be easily challenged at the World Trade Organization.

Commerce Minister Chen Deming suggested instead in a television interview on Sept. 26 that Chinese entrepreneurs in the rare earth industry might have halted shipments because of their own feelings toward Japan. There are 32 companies in China with export licenses for rare earths and 10 of them are foreign; Mr. Deming did not address why the 10 foreign companies would have strong feelings toward Japan, or why all companies in the Chinese industry halted shipments on the same day, Sept. 21.