THG News · Industry Analysis

China's Rare-Earth Export Control Pause Nears November 10 Expiry

· Updated

Rare-earth refiners, recyclers and magnet makers outside China are preparing for November 10, 2026, when a one-year suspension of China's expanded export controls is due to end, Fastmarkets reported on September 10, 2026. The outcome matters for robot builders because high-performance permanent magnets are a core input for the compact electric motors used in robot joints and other motion systems.

What is suspended and what still applies

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and the General Administration of Customs suspended six export control announcements issued in 2025, Nos. 55, 56, 57, 58, 61 and 62, from November 7, 2025 until November 10, 2026, according to MOFCOM Announcement No. 70 of 2025.

Earlier controls remain in force. Under Announcement No. 18, which took effect on April 4, 2025, exporters need a license to ship seven medium and heavy rare earths and related items: samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium, according to MOFCOM. The ministry's summary of that announcement lists permanent magnet materials such as samarium-cobalt magnets and terbium-containing neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets among the controlled items.

Under Announcement No. 61, one of the suspended measures, licensing requirements can apply to foreign-made products containing specified Chinese-origin rare earth materials above certain thresholds, Fastmarkets reported. Market participants told Fastmarkets that, if implemented, the measures would reach equipment and technology used for rare earth separation, strip alloy production and magnet manufacturing.

Prices and trade flows

Fastmarkets assessed dysprosium oxide at $1,250 to $1,675 per kg ex-warehouse Rotterdam on August 27, compared with $270 to $330 per kg free on board China. Terbium oxide was assessed at $4,200 to $5,000 per kg in Rotterdam against $1,180 to $1,270 per kg in China on the same date, according to Fastmarkets. Dysprosium and terbium are often added to NdFeB magnets to improve performance, the publication noted.

No dysprosium oxide or terbium oxide had been exported from China to Japan in 2026, Fastmarkets reported, citing Chinese customs data. China has continued to export finished sintered NdFeB magnets, according to the same report.

The diplomatic track

After China-US trade consultations in South Korea on May 12 and 13, 2026, MOFCOM said on May 21 that the two sides would work toward extending the Kuala Lumpur joint arrangement and would jointly study each other's concerns on export controls. The ministry said China implements export controls on rare earths and other critical minerals in accordance with law and reviews compliant license applications for civilian use.

Fastmarkets noted that the controls are due to return on November 10 unless the suspension is extended or withdrawn. In June, G7 members agreed to cut reliance on any single supplier of rare earths and permanent magnets to below 60% by 2030, the publication reported. For robot and actuator makers, the near-term questions are whether licenses for magnet materials keep flowing and whether heavy rare earth prices outside China stay well above Chinese domestic levels.

Sources