China halts ban on export to US of some dual-use metals

A demonstrator holds up a sign reading "Tariffs are bad" outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on November 5, 2025. [AFP]

China suspended an export ban to the United States that had targeted gallium, germanium and antimony, metals crucial for modern technology, Beijing's commerce ministry announced Sunday in a further de-escalation of the trade war with Washington.

The restrictions banned the export of so-called dual-use goods, materials that can have both civilian and military applications.

Imposed in December 2024, the ban will now be suspended until November 27, 2026, Beijing's commerce ministry said in a statement.

The announcement comes after leaders Xi Jinping and Donald Trump met on October 30 in South Korea and agreed to walk back some punitive measures imposed during their tit-for-tat tariff escalation.

At one point, duties on both sides had reached prohibitive triple-digit levels, hampering trade between the world's two largest economies and snarling global supply chains.

Throughout the trade war, China has sought to leverage its chokehold over the critical minerals underpinning everything from smartphones to advanced military technology.

Gallium, germanium and antimony are not classed as rare earth elements but are crucial for entire sectors of the economy.

China accounts for 94 percent of the world's production of gallium -- used in integrated circuits, LEDs and photovoltaic panels -- according to a report by the European Union published in 2024.

For germanium, essential for fibre optics and infrared, China makes up 83 percent of production.

Antimony is used both in battery technology and by the arms industry to reinforce armour plating and ammunition.

In its brief statement, the commerce ministry also announced the easing of restrictions on exports of graphite-related products, which had likewise been banned under the controls on dual-use goods.

These are the latest de-escalation measures taken by Beijing since the Xi-Trump meeting.

On Wednesday, China announced that it would extend the suspension of additional tariffs on US goods for one year, keeping them at 10 percent.

The Asian giant also said it would cease applying additional tariffs imposed since March on soybeans and a number of other US agricultural products.

These measures had severely impacted a key source of Trump's political support, farmers.

Trump announced at the end of October that China had agreed to suspend for one year the restrictions imposed on October 9 on the export of rare earths technology.

Rare earths are a strategic field dominated by China and are essential for manufacturing in defence, automobiles and consumer electronics.