China has agreed to address US concerns over rare earth shortages, says White House

By Lewis Jackson and Laurie Chen

BEIJING, May 18 (Reuters) – China will address U.S. concerns about shortages of certain specialty rare earths caused by Beijing’s export controls, the White House said on Sunday in a factsheet outlining the major deals agreed during a summit last week. 

China’s rare earth export controls – introduced in April 2025 in retaliation for U.S. President Donald Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs – continue to tightly restrict exports of some rare earths despite a deal last October in which the White House says China agreed to allow shipments to freely flow.

Beijing’s grip has been tightest over specialty rare earths such as yttrium and scandium, used in defence, aerospace and chipmaking, both of which were highlighted in the factsheet.

“China will address U.S. concerns regarding supply chain shortages related to rare earths and other critical minerals, including yttrium, scandium, neodymium, and indium,” it read.

China’s Ministry of Commerce did not mention rare earths in its own summary released on Saturday.

Beijing would also address U.S. concerns over China’s export restrictions on rare earth processing equipment and technology, the factsheet said.

China refines over 90% of the world’s rare earths and has dominated the industry for decades. Its expertise and technology are, however, tightly guarded and generally unavailable to foreign companies.

(Reporting by Lewis Jackson and Laurie Chen in Beijing; Editing by Stephen Coates)