China escalates rare earth controls to include mining technologies
China tightens rare earth controls with new export measures, expanding licensing to cover technologies and foreign companies, while banning exports to foreign militaries or entities on China’s control list.
Nikkei Asia reports that China's Ministry of Commerce has announced a new set of "Rare Earth Export Control Measures," expanding the scope of export licensing to include related technologies and foreign companies in a bid to protect national security and interests.
Under the new measures, exporting technologies related to mining, processing, and the production of magnets from rare earths without authorization is now prohibited, effective immediately, according to China's official announcement.
In a separate statement, the Ministry specified that “foreign organizations and individuals” must obtain a license to export products containing rare earth elements originating from China, such as samarium and terbium, if they are produced abroad and intended for re-export to third countries. This expansion of regulatory oversight will come into effect on December 1.
Additionally, the Ministry clarified that exports to "foreign military forces" or "entities listed on China’s control or surveillance lists" will not be permitted.
Regarding research and development or the production of semiconductors and artificial intelligence technologies with "military potential," these will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The announcement of these measures came shortly after China resumed operations following a week-long holiday and approximately three weeks before a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea.
"Rare earths" are a key topic in trade negotiations between the two superpowers, with Trump having called for the US to gain sufficient access to these critical materials.
China began implementing export controls on "rare earth magnets," which are crucial components in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and weapons, shortly after President Trump announced "retaliatory tariffs" on Chinese goods. These measures have led to bottlenecks in license approvals and have impacted global supply chains.
In a Q&A section published on the Ministry’s website, an unnamed spokesperson said that "some foreign organizations and individuals have illicitly acquired China’s rare earth technology or transferred products under control that originated in China for military use, which poses a threat to China’s national security."
