China's Critical-Mineral Controls: What Is Licensed, What Is Paused, and Until When

Two suspensions end within weeks of each other. Here is what a buyer of electronics, batteries or magnets needs to know.

What needs a Chinese export licence today

• Gallium and germanium, since 1 August 2023.
• High-purity synthetic graphite and natural flake graphite, since 1 December 2023.
• Antimony and superhard materials, since 15 September 2024.
• Tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum and indium, since 4 February 2025.
• Seven rare earths (samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium) as metals, alloys, oxides, compounds and magnet materials, since 4 April 2025.

None of these licensing rules has been suspended. A licence is issued to the Chinese exporter for a named end user and end use, so suppliers ask buyers for end-user statements, and approval is not guaranteed.

What is paused, and until when

• The ban on exporting gallium, germanium, antimony and superhard materials to the United States, imposed in December 2024, was suspended on 9 November 2025 until 27 November 2026.
• China's October 2025 package is suspended under the US–China truce, which was extended in September 2026 to 10 January 2027. It covers five more rare earths (holmium, erbium, thulium, europium and ytterbium), rare-earth equipment and technology, high-performance lithium batteries and graphite anode materials, and a rule requiring a licence for foreign products that contain Chinese rare earths worth 0.1% or more of their value.

The Chinese notice that suspended the October package still names 10 November 2026, and as of late October no numbered announcement had moved that date. Buyers should confirm with suppliers which date their licence office is working to.

The US duty on the same materials

An export licence decides whether goods leave China. What they pay at the US border is a separate question:

• Raw minerals and their compounds are exempt from the forced-labor tariff, so from Japan, Korea, the EU, Australia or Malaysia they pay only the regular duty.
• From China, gallium, germanium oxides, natural graphite and tungsten powder pay a further 25% under Section 301.
• Products made from these materials are not exempt. Permanent magnets pay 39.6% from China, 12.5% from Japan or Korea, 10% from the EU and 14.6% from Australia.

What to do before the dates

1. Map your exposure by tariff line, including magnets, sputtering targets, anode materials and battery cells.
2. Ask suppliers about licences and named end users, not only lead times.
3. Price a second source with the full US duty stack.
4. Put 27 November and 10 January in the calendar.

Zentria Flow keeps a page on what is in force and what is paused, with the US duty by origin: zentriaflow.com/china-export-controls-2026.