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China extends suspension of new rare earth controls until January

By Thomson Reuters Nov 9, 2026 | 3:14 AM

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)