China's Rare Earth Exports to US Fall Again in November

Announcement from Chinese Customs Authorities

China's exports of rare earth magnets to the United States in November decreased compared to the previous month. After rebounding in October following the US-China trade truce, expectations had risen, but export volumes have now returned to previous levels.

According to Bloomberg News on December 20 (local time), China's General Administration of Customs announced that exports of rare earth magnets to the US in November totaled 582 tons. This is a decrease from the 656 tons exported in the previous month.

China's exports to the US exceeded 800 tons in January, but fell sharply to around 400 tons in February and have since remained below 600 tons. The only months when exports surpassed 600 tons were July and October. As the US imposed high tariffs and China responded by using rare earth export controls as leverage, export volumes declined.

On December 18, statistics showed that China's sales of rare earth products increased compared to the previous month, leading to expectations that exports to the US would also rise. However, Bloomberg News pointed out that the actual results were quite the opposite.

Earlier this month, China announced that it would suspend rare earth export control measures for one year. This move followed the US-China summit held in Busan at the end of October, where both sides pledged to ease trade tensions.

Rare earth magnets are used in a wide range of products, from electric vehicles to military equipment.