China extends rare-earth export pause and US trade truce

· Trade · China · United States

China extended its suspension of new rare-earth export controls until January, and separately prolonged its trade truce with the United States by two months. The rare-earth measures had been paused for one year in November 2025 after a summit in South Korea between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump; the truce had been due to expire on November 10. The extensions ease immediate fears of fresh supply disruptions for magnets and other components used in electronics, EVs and defence, while leaving the underlying dispute unresolved.

Why it matters：Rare earths are critical to electronics, EVs and weapons, so any resumption of Chinese controls would ripple through global manufacturing.

Key points

  • The rare-earth pause was originally agreed after the Xi-Trump summit in South Korea.
  • The trade truce had been due to expire on November 10.
  • The new suspension runs until January.

Sources (original reporting)

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