Catenaa, Friday, June 13, 2025-China has announced it has approved a limited number of export permits for rare earth elements, easing tensions following recent high-level trade negotiations with the United States, Yahoo Finance reported.1
The move comes after President Donald Trump said Beijing agreed to supply US companies with critical minerals and magnets made from them.
Rare earth elements, essential for manufacturing electric vehicles, wind turbines, military equipment, and advanced technology, have been tightly controlled by China, which supplies nearly 90% of the world’s demand.
In April, China imposed export permits on seven heavy rare earths, including terbium and dysprosium, raising fears of disruptions in U.S. production and global supply chains.
Mark Smith, CEO of NioCorp, which is developing a rare earth mine in Nebraska, welcomed China’s decision but emphasized the world economy depends heavily on these materials.
The US-China trade discussions resulted in a framework agreement, though key details remain to be finalized by Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Meanwhile, American mining company MP Materials, which operates the only US rare earth mine in California, has halted shipments of heavy rare earths to China amid tariffs and is accelerating efforts to develop domestic processing and magnet production facilities.
Businesses greeted the easing of export restrictions cautiously, noting uncertainties persist as negotiations continue and China retains dominance over heavy rare earth supplies.
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-grants-rare-earth-export-204102464.html[↩]
