New sign of goodwill from Beijing after the Xi-Trump meeting: China gives free rein to the export of three rare metals to the US / What are they used for
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. PHOTO: Susan Walsh / AP / Profimedia
A new sign of easing tensions in the Beijing-Washington relationship after the Trump-Xi meeting last week: China announced on Sunday that it has suspended the ban on exports to the United States of three rare metals essential to modern industry: gallium, germanium and antimony, reports Reuters.
The lifting of the export ban comes after Beijing last December announced restrictions on these metals as part of a decision on “dual-use” goods, meaning those that can be used for both civilian and military purposes – for example, to make weapons.
The bans are suspended starting Sunday and “until November 27, 2026,” China's Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Sunday.
Sign of goodwill after the Trump-Xi meeting
The announcement is a further sign of goodwill from Beijing following the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump on October 30 in South Korea.
This summit allowed the dissipation of tensions that have affected the world economy for several months.
“In principle, the export to the United States of dual-use items related to gallium, germanium, antimony, and superhard materials will not be authorized,” states the December 2024 ban, which is now suspended.
However, China's Ministry of Commerce did not explicitly say on Sunday whether, when or to what extent authorizations would be granted.
What are the three rare metals used for?
Gallium, found especially in integrated circuits, LEDs and photovoltaic panels, is thus considered a critical raw material, according to the European Union. Germanium is indispensable for optical fibers and infrared devices.
And antimony is used both for the energy transition, being used in electric vehicle batteries, but also by the armaments industry, to strengthen armor and ammunition.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce, in its brief statement on Sunday, also announced the easing of restrictions on exports of graphite-related products – also under these “dual-use” product regulations.
The stricter reviews of the use and end users of these products, announced in December 2024, are also suspended until November 27, 2026.
Relaxed relationships
These are the latest de-escalation measures taken by Beijing after the meeting between Xi and Trump.
China had already announced on Wednesday a one-year extension of the suspension of part of the tariffs imposed on US products in the middle of the trade war, which are kept at 10%.
The Asian giant also indicated that it would “cease to apply additional tariffs” imposed since March on soybeans and a number of other US agricultural products. Measures that seriously affected the electoral base of Donald Trump.
Trump also announced in late October that China had agreed to suspend for one year restrictions imposed on October 9 on the export of rare-earth technologies — critical to defense, the automotive or electronics industries.
