CHINA MAINTAINS RESTRICTIONS ON RARE EARTH METALS DESPITE EASING SOME U.S. EXPORT CURBS
China has temporarily lifted export bans affecting 28 U.S. companies following the trade agreement reached with the Trump administration over the weekend in Switzerland.
However, China continues to enforce a ban on the export of seven rare earth metals to the United States—materials crucial for American defense, energy, and automotive sectors.
The official trade statement from Geneva notes that China has committed to “take all necessary administrative steps to suspend or eliminate the non-tariff countermeasures imposed on the United States since April 2, 2025.”
These non-tariff measures include the restrictions on rare earth metal exports.
When questioned about these controls at a regular press briefing on Thursday, a spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Commerce stated there were no updates available.
Back on April 4, China had introduced a set of retaliatory actions in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which included export bans on seven rare earth elements: samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium.