On Friday, we reported that China’s additional rare earth export controls appeared likely to remain suspended for another two months. Beijing has now given a date: Its trade arrangements with the United States have been extended until January 10, 2027, China’s Ministry of Commerce said on Monday.
China announced the new controls* covering the rare earth supply chain in October 2025, but suspended them until November 10, 2026. This was part of an agreement reached during trade talks between China and the United States in Kuala Lumpur in late October 2025. The confirmed extension of those arrangements suggests that the export controls will also remain suspended for another two months. Monday’s statement does not explicitly mention rare earths, however, so separate confirmation of the new date for the export controls is still pending.
Both sides had already agreed on an extension during trade talks shortly before last week’s Trump-Xi summit in Washington. Until now, however, only U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had given the specific date of January 10.
*Background: China suspended the additional export controls announced in October 2025 until November 10, 2026. The measures cover additional rare earth elements as well as certain machinery, equipment and intermediate products used in their mining, separation and processing. Under certain conditions, licensing requirements could also apply to products made abroad if they contain Chinese rare earths or were produced using Chinese technology. Particularly strict rules were envisaged for military end users and certain high-tech applications.
Photo: iStock/Alex_Wang1
