U.S. Says China Rare Earth Exports Improve, but Some Licenses Still Lag

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said May 14, 2026, that China’s rare earth exports to the United States have improved, though Beijing remains slow in approving some export licenses. Greer told Bloomberg Television that U.S. officials sometimes must intervene on behalf of affected companies. “I would give them a passing grade,” he said, adding that rare earth supply has returned to better levels but some approvals remain delayed. China imposed rare earth export controls in April 2025 in response to President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. The White House said the two sides reached an agreement in October 2025 for China to resume rare earth flows, but some exports remain tightly restricted. Greer said the United States recently received several large shipments of yttrium, a China-produced rare earth element whose shortage has strained U.S. semiconductor and aerospace manufacturers.