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Trump-Xi Summit Addresses Rare Earths Without Resolution
Developing
In Short: At the Trump-Xi summit, rare earth minerals emerged as a key issue even before the leaders met, with China's Foreign Ministry fielding questions about rare earth deliveries and export controls.
In April 2025, China implemented export controls on several medium and heavy rare earth elements, shifting access from a commercial transaction to a regulated process.
The summit's discussions on rare earths are expected to improve predictability but will not dismantle China's legal framework for export controls.
Despite any short-term relief, Washington is unlikely to halt its efforts to diversify away from China-centered critical mineral supply chains.
The central paradox of the summit is that while it may temporarily ease anxiety over rare earth supplies, it is unlikely to lower the political and regulatory barriers for access.
What this adds
The summit's focus on rare earths reflects ongoing tensions in the broader trade relationship between the U.S. and China, with both sides seeking to secure their supply chains.
Background
The summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled for September 24 at the White House.
Diplomatic efforts are intensifying for a potential summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, with discussions likely to center on North Korea's future leadership and the country's nuclear status.
What's still developing
- Rare earths entered the Trump-Xi summit before the two leaders even sat down.
- On September 21, two days before President Xi Jinping’s arrival in the United States, China’s Foreign Ministry faced a series of questions on whether Beijing had “fully resumed rare earth deliveries,” whether a “November 10 deadline or expanded restrictions on rare earth exports” could be extended, and whether rare earths controls involving Japan would feature in the Washington talks.
- In April 2025, China’s Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs placed several medium and heavy rare earth elements – including samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium – under export controls.
- This does not amount to a blanket ban on exports, but it does shift rare earth access from a purely commercial transaction to a regulated process shaped by licensing, end-use review, and national security considerations.