China’s Global Exports of Rare Earth Elements and Rare Earth Permanent Magnets

China’s global exports of export controlled rare earth compounds and metals increased after Presidents Trump and Xi met at the end of October, but exports of certain products continue to remain limited and are only directed to certain destinations, according to Silverado’s latest dashboard. Key takeaways from the latest dashboard include:

Rare Earth Magnets

• China’s global exports of rare earth magnets continued at relatively high levels compared to historical patterns.
• Exports to the United States continued, but were at the low end of typical historical levels.

Compounds and Metals

• China’s overall level of exports of products subject to export controls rebounded to typical historical levels, but this was driven mostly by yttrium oxide. Exports of some other products (such as dysprosium oxide and terbium oxide) remained low.
• China’s exports to the United States of compounds and metals subject to export controls remained low in November and December, as very low levels of yttrium were exported to the United States. Exports of lutetium oxide (often used by medical device manufacturers) to the United States increased in November and December.