China Export Controls: What Is in Force, What Is Paused, and Until When
China requires an export licence for gallium, germanium, antimony, graphite, tungsten and seven rare earths. Two further layers are suspended: the October 2025 rare-earth package, and a ban on shipping gallium, germanium and antimony to the United States. One suspension ends on 27 November 2026, the other on 10 January 2027.
Two dates to put in the calendar
27 November 2026
The pause on China's ban on gallium, germanium and antimony exports to the United States ends
In December 2024 China stopped approving exports of gallium, germanium, antimony and superhard materials to the US and tightened end-user checks on graphite. That rule was suspended on 9 November 2025 and the suspension runs to 27 November 2026. No extension had been published when this page was checked. If it lapses, licences for US buyers are refused again as a rule.
10 January 2027
The US–China trade truce ends, and with it the pause on China's October 2025 rare-earth package
The truce was due to end on 10 November 2026. The US Treasury Secretary said on 23 September 2026 that it had been extended by two months, and China's commerce ministry said on 28 September that it now runs to 10 January 2027. The notice that suspended the October 2025 controls still names 10 November 2026, and we have not found a numbered announcement that changes it. Ask your Chinese supplier which date their licence office is working to.
What needs a Chinese export licence today
These rules are in force and were not part of the truce. A licence is issued to the Chinese exporter for a named end user and end use, so your supplier will ask you for an end-user statement before applying. A licence is not guaranteed.
| Controlled items | In force since | Announcement | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallium and germanium | 1 August 2023 | No. 23 of 2023 | Export licence required. US buyers can be licensed again until 27 November 2026. |
| Graphite: high-purity synthetic graphite and natural flake graphite | 1 December 2023 | No. 39 of 2023 | Export licence required. The stricter end-user review for US buyers is paused until 27 November 2026. |
| Antimony and superhard materials | 15 September 2024 | No. 33 of 2024 | Export licence required. US buyers can be licensed again until 27 November 2026. |
| Any dual-use item for a US military user or military end use | 3 December 2024 | No. 46 of 2024, first paragraph | Prohibited. This part was not suspended. |
| Tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum and indium | 4 February 2025 | No. 10 of 2025 | Export licence required. Not part of any suspension. |
| Seven rare earths: samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium, as metals, alloys, oxides, compounds, targets and permanent magnet materials | 4 April 2025 | No. 18 of 2025 | Export licence required. Never suspended. |
What is paused
China announced six further controls on 9 October 2025 and suspended all six on 7 November 2025 (Announcement No. 70 of 2025). They are written and ready, and they come back if the suspension ends without an extension.
| Suspended control | Announcement |
|---|---|
| Five more rare earths: holmium, erbium, thulium, europium and ytterbium, and materials containing them | No. 57 of 2025 |
| Products made outside China that contain controlled Chinese rare-earth materials worth 0.1% or more of the product's value | No. 61 of 2025 |
| Rare-earth mining, separation, metal-smelting and magnet-making technology | No. 62 of 2025 |
| Rare-earth production equipment, ores, reagents and extractants | No. 56 of 2025 |
| High-performance lithium batteries, cathode materials, artificial-graphite anode materials and the equipment to make them | No. 58 of 2025 |
| Superhard materials: synthetic diamond powders and single crystals, wire saws, grinding wheels | No. 55 of 2025 |
The second paragraph of Announcement No. 46 of 2024, the ban on gallium, germanium, antimony and superhard-material exports to the United States, is suspended separately until 27 November 2026 (Announcement No. 72 of 2025).
The US duty on the same materials, by origin
An export licence decides whether the goods leave China. What you pay at the US border is a separate question, and it is the one to answer before you move an order to another country. The figures are total US duty as a share of customs value, from the same engine as our calculator, at the general duty rate with no free-trade-agreement preference claimed. Merchandise processing fee, harbor maintenance fee and any antidumping or countervailing duty come on top.
| Material | HTS | China | Japan, Korea | EU | Australia | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallium, unwrought | 8112.92.10 | 28% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Germanium, unwrought | 8112.92.60 | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.6% |
| Germanium oxides | 2825.60.00 | 28.7% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.7% |
| Antimony, unwrought | 8110.10.00 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Antimony oxides | 2825.80.00 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Natural graphite, flake or powder | 2504.10.50 | 25% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Tungsten powder | 8101.10.00 | 32% | 7% | 7% | 7% | 7% |
| Rare-earth metals | 2805.30.00 | 5% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 5% |
| Rare-earth compounds | 2846.90.80 | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.7% |
| Artificial graphite | 3801.10.50 | 37.5% | 12.5% | 10% | 12.5% | 10% |
| Sintered neodymium (NdFeB) magnets | 8505.11.00.70 | 27.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% |
| Other permanent magnets of metal | 8505.11.00 | 39.6% | 12.5% | 10% | 14.6% | 12.1% |
| Lithium-ion batteries | 8507.60.00 | 40.9% | 12.5% | 10% | 15.9% | 13.4% |
Raw minerals cost the same to import from any country except China. Metals, oxides and compounds of the controlled minerals are on the exemption list for the forced-labor Section 301 tariff, so outside China only the general duty rate applies. From China, gallium, germanium oxides, natural graphite and tungsten powder carry a further 25% under Section 301. Germanium metal, antimony and rare-earth metals and compounds do not.
Most products made from them are taxed from every origin. Artificial graphite, lithium-ion batteries and most permanent magnets are not exempt. They pay 10% to 15.9% from the alternative origins in the table and 37.5% to 40.9% from China. The exception is sintered neodymium magnets (8505.11.00.70), the most common rare-earth magnet: they are exempt from the forced-labor tariff, so they pay 2.1% from Japan, Korea, the EU, Australia or Malaysia and 27.1% from China.
Rates are per tariff line. Check yours with the forced-labor tariff checker or price a whole shipment in the landed cost calculator.
What to do before the two dates
- Find your exposure by tariff line. The controls reach further than the metals: magnets, sputtering targets, anode materials and battery cells are named too. List the parts you buy from China that contain a controlled material, and ask each supplier whether the item is on China's dual-use list.
- Ask about the licence, not only the lead time. Has a licence been issued for your orders, who is the named end user, and when does it expire? For gallium, germanium and antimony shipped to the US, ask what the supplier plans to do after 27 November.
- Price the second source now. For raw materials the US duty is the same from every origin outside China, so the comparison is price and availability, and the same holds for sintered neodymium magnets. For other magnets, graphite and batteries the duty differs by country: run both origins before you commit.
- Watch the lines you depend on. Run the product and origin in the landed cost calculator and create a free account from the result. The product goes on your watchlist and you get an email when its US duty changes.
China export controls: questions and answers
Yes. Gallium, germanium, graphite, antimony, tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum, indium and seven rare earths (samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium) all need an export licence from China's commerce ministry. None of those licensing rules has been suspended. What is paused is the October 2025 package and the ban on shipping gallium, germanium and antimony to the United States.
The October 2025 package was suspended until 10 November 2026 as part of the US–China trade truce. On 23 September 2026 the US Treasury Secretary said the truce had been extended by two months, and on 28 September China's commerce ministry said it runs to 10 January 2027. As of 11 October 2026 we have not found a numbered Chinese announcement that moves the date in the suspension notice itself, so confirm with your supplier.
Yes, with an export licence, since 9 November 2025. China banned these exports to the US in December 2024 and suspended the ban until 27 November 2026. Exports for US military users or military end uses are still prohibited. No extension of the suspension had been published as of 11 October 2026.
No. An export licence decides whether the goods can leave China. The US duty depends on the tariff line and the country of origin. Most raw critical minerals are exempt from the forced-labor Section 301 tariff, so from Japan, Korea, the EU, Australia or Malaysia they pay only the general duty rate. From China, gallium, germanium oxides, natural graphite and tungsten powder pay an extra 25% under Section 301.
Permanent magnet materials that contain any of the seven controlled rare earths need a licence. That includes samarium-cobalt magnets and neodymium magnets made with dysprosium or terbium. China's commerce ministry has said that electronic components and electronic products made by further processing permanent magnet materials are not controlled and need no export licence.
Announcement No. 61 of October 2025 would require a Chinese licence to export a product made in another country when controlled Chinese rare-earth materials make up 0.1% or more of its value. It is one of the six suspended announcements and is not being applied. It returns if the suspension ends without an extension.
Moving an order out of China? Price it first.
Compare the full landed cost from two origins, with every US duty layer shown, before you change supplier.
Related: China tariffs · Section 301 · Vietnam tariffs · Malaysia tariffs
Sources: announcements of China's Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs No. 23 and No. 39 of 2023, No. 33 and No. 46 of 2024, and No. 10, 18, 55, 56, 57, 58, 61, 62, 70 and 72 of 2025; the ministry's statement of 28 September 2026 on the extension of the trade truce; Reuters, 23 September 2026, for the US Treasury Secretary's announcement. US duty rates: HTSUS 2026 and chapter 99 U.S. note 52, as modelled by our calculator. This page is general information, not legal or export-control advice. Licensing decisions are made case by case by the Chinese authorities: confirm the position on your goods with your supplier and trade counsel.