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China extends suspension of new rare earth controls until January

Reuters

By Lewis Jackson

BEIJING, Nov ‌9 (Reuters) - China on Monday announced a two-month extension of export-control ​waivers due ‌to expire this month, preserving part ‌of a wide-ranging deal struck after a summit between Presidents Xi Jinping and ‌Donald Trump.

China introduced export controls on certain rare earths in April 2025, only to expand them further in October of that year, ⁠dramatically widening their scope and also ‌adding new controls on ⁠certain diamonds with industrial applications and lithium ​battery technology. The measures were then paused for one year last November ​after a summit in South Korea ​between ‌Xi and Trump.

The Ministry of Commerce said in ​a short statement on Monday ⁠that the pause would be ‌extended for ​two months until January ​10. It gave no other details.

The extension is part of a broader suspension of trade countermeasures and tariffs announced by ‌China on Monday as it negotiates with Washington over an enduring trade deal. ‌Trump ​is set to travel to Shenzhen in southern China later this month for an APEC leaders summit, where he is expected to ‌meet with Xi.

(Lewis Jackson in Beijing)