China Suspends Rare-Earth and Critical Mineral Export Curbs

Beijing has suspended a set of export controls on critical minerals and processing technologies used in semiconductors, lithium batteries and military hardware for one year. The measures, first announced Oct. 9, 2025, cover select rare earth elements, lithium battery materials and processing technologies; authorities also rolled back December 2024 curbs on gallium, germanium, antimony and super-hard materials such as synthetic diamonds and boron nitrides. The suspension includes easing end-user and end-use verification checks on dual-use graphite shipments to the U.S. China classifies these inputs as dual-use because they can serve both civilian and military applications. The move follows talks between Presidents Xi and Trump on Oct. 30 in Busan and is part of a broader trade understanding that includes U.S. concessions: a 10-percentage-point tariff reduction on Chinese imports, suspension of reciprocal tariffs until Nov. 10, 2026, and a delay to a U.S. blacklist rule affecting Chinese subsidiaries. China’s dominance of rare-earth and critical-mineral supply chains has given Beijing leverage in tech-era trade disputes, and the suspension signals a tentative de-escalation in strategic export controls.