China tightens rare earth export controls targeting US companies

Since April 2025, China has subjected the export of seven rare earth elements to a licensing regime that curbs flows to the United States and to end users linked to allied military uses. On 22 June 2026, Beijing expanded its export control list to include around ten additional US entities, including rare earth and magnet producers, in response to US measures targeting Chinese companies linked to the military sector.

Since 1 December 2025, companies affiliated with foreign armed forces, including US ones, have been largely denied Chinese export licences, and any application explicitly intended for military use is automatically rejected, according to analyses from research centres specialising in critical mineral supply chains.

This licensing regime remained in force as of 27 September 2026 and continues to evolve through successive additions to China's control list; no general lifting has been announced to date for the entities already targeted.

Affected are US companies manufacturing rare earths, permanent magnets or electronic components dependent on these materials, as well as, more broadly, any North American importer of Chinese electronic or electrical products containing rare-earth-based magnets, whose component sourcing lead times and costs may be indirectly affected by tensions along this supply chain.