China Pledges Rare Earth Exports to EU Beyond January Deadline as U.S. Truce Nears Expiry
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Oct 15
China Pledges Rare Earth Exports to EU Beyond January Deadline as U.S. Truce Nears Expiry
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Oct 15
Summary
China said it will keep approving rare earth export licenses for Europe even if its trade truce with the U.S. is not extended beyond January.
He Yadong said the policy reflects Beijing's willingness to maintain shipments to the EU as the U.S.-China suspension of retaliatory measures approaches its latest deadline.
Those measures date to October 2025, when China tightened controls on all rare earth exports—including goods with just 0.1% China-sourced material—after Washington broadened a blacklist that could affect about 20,000 Chinese entities.
EU-China trade tensions eased last week after talks in Beijing, where China offered a "green channel" to keep rare earths flowing to Europe while seeking EU support for some Chinese dual-use product imports.
European Commission leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday are expected to review the trade talks, making rare earth access a near-term test of the broader EU-China thaw.