Export Controls
China Rare Earth Export Controls Tracker
Every published Chinese export-control announcement affecting rare earths, strategic metals, and semiconductor materials since 2023. Filter by element to see the controls that touch it.
Active Control Regimes5
One card per regulatory action, with its current status.
Announcement Timeline11
Newest first.
- SanctionChina sanctions 15 Japanese defence entities
MOFCOM designates 15 Japanese companies as "unreliable entities," prohibiting export of controlled items (including all dual-use minerals). Retaliation for Japan's January 2026 prohibition order.
MOFCOM Announcement No. 17 of 2026 - Export banJapan prohibited from receiving Chinese dual-use exports
China prohibits dual-use exports to Japan, citing Japan's restrictions on semiconductor equipment to China. First country-wide prohibition order since the US ban in Dec 2024.
MOFCOM Announcement No. 1 of 2026 - China suspends October 2025 escalation measures until November 2026
MOFCOM suspends all six October 2025 announcements plus the Ga/Ge/Sb US-specific ban (Art. 2, No. 46/2024). Suspension runs until 28 November 2026. Underlying licence requirements remain.
MOFCOM Announcements No. 70 and No. 72 of 2025 - Export controlChina escalates: six announcements tighten controls and ban US exports
Six simultaneous announcements (Nos. 55–58, 61, 62) suspend pending licence applications, halt new applications for US-destined shipments, add end-user verification, and expand controlled item scope. Article 2 of No. 46/2024 (Ga/Ge/Sb US ban) reactivated. Subsequently suspended by Nos. 70 and 72 of 2025.
MOFCOM Announcements Nos. 55–58, 61, 62 of 2025 - Export controlChina imposes export controls on seven medium and heavy rare earths
Export licences required for samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium — covering metals, alloys, oxides, compounds, and permanent magnet materials. Targets the materials most critical for NdFeB magnets and defence.
MOFCOM/GAC Announcement No. 18 of 2025 - Export controlChina extends export controls to tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum, and indium
All five metals require export licences. Tellurium controls are notable as Te is critical for CdTe thin-film solar (~60% of demand) and is a byproduct of copper refining with inelastic supply.
MOFCOM/GAC Announcement No. 10 of 2025 - Export banChina bans gallium, germanium, and antimony exports to the United States
Article 1 prohibits Ga/Ge/Sb exports to any US military end-user; Article 2 imposes a blanket ban on all Ga/Ge/Sb exports to the US. Art. 1 remains active; Art. 2 was suspended in Nov 2025 until Nov 2026.
MOFCOM Announcement No. 46 of 2024 - RegulationRare Earth Management Regulations enter into force
State Council Order No. 785 establishes a comprehensive framework for rare earth mining, smelting, separation, and circulation. Codifies production quotas, traceability, and strategic reserve management.
State Council Order No. 785 - Export controlChina restricts antimony exports
Export controls imposed on antimony and related items, effective 15 September 2024. Sb price rose from ~$12,000/t to >$38,000/t within six months of announcement.
MOFCOM/GAC Announcement No. 33 of 2024 - RegulationEU Critical Raw Materials Act enters into force
Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 sets benchmarks for domestic extraction (10%), processing (40%), and recycling (25%) of critical raw materials including rare earths, gallium, and germanium by 2030.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 - Export controlChina imposes first export controls on gallium and germanium
Export licence requirements for gallium and germanium products, effective 1 August 2023. First targeted critical-mineral export controls; widely interpreted as a response to US semiconductor restrictions.
MOFCOM/GAC Announcement No. 23 of 2023
Key Legal References
- End-user certificate requirement
- Article 15 of the Export Control Law of the PRC requires exporters to submit an end-user certificate (最终用户证明) identifying the consignee, end user, and end use for all controlled items.
- Review period
- MOFCOM has up to 45 working days from acceptance of a complete application to issue or deny an export licence, per the 2024 Dual-Use Items Export Control Regulations.
- Presumptive denial
- Licence applications subject to presumptive denial are refused absent extraordinary circumstances. This standard currently applies to Ga/Ge/Sb exports to US military end-users under Article 1 of MOFCOM No. 46/2024.