WASHINGTON: The U.S. and China have agreed to expedite rare earth shipments to the U.S., a White House official confirmed, as part of efforts to ease trade tensions. The deal follows May’s Geneva talks, where China pledged to lift non-tariff barriers imposed since April 2.
In response to U.S. tariffs, China had suspended exports of critical minerals, disrupting global supply chains. A new framework agreement now aims to resume these shipments. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated that once rare earth deliveries begin, the U.S. will lift certain countermeasures.
China’s commerce ministry acknowledged progress on the Geneva agreement’s implementation, though rare earths were not explicitly mentioned. Beijing continues to scrutinize exports to prevent their use in U.S. military applications, slowing approvals.
Despite recent breakthroughs, a comprehensive U.S.-China trade deal remains distant.
