The Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs jointly issued an announcement to strengthen the export management of medium and heavy rare earths to implement new control measures

On April 4, 2025, China's Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs jointly issued a notice announcing the implementation of export controls on some medium and heavy rare earth-related items, a move that is intended to safeguard national security and interests and fulfill international non-proliferation obligations. This control measure marks a more determined step in China's management of rare earth resources.

According to the announcement, the export control involves seven categories of medium- and heavy-earth-related items, including samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium, in a variety of forms, including metals, alloys, targets, permanent magnetic materials, oxides, compounds and mixtures. These items have dual-use properties, and their export control is a common international practice. As a responsible big country, China has reflected its consistent position of maintaining world peace and regional stability through this move.

The announcement lists specific controlled items and their corresponding customs commodity numbers, covering a wide range of forms from metals to compounds. For example, samarium metal, alloys containing samarium, samarium oxide and its mixtures, as well as compounds containing samarium and their mixtures are included in the control list. Related items of other rare earth elements are also listed one by one, showing the refinement and standardization of the Chinese government's export management of rare earth resources.

When exporting the above items, the export operator must apply for a license from the competent commercial department under the State Council in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Export Control Law of the People's Republic of China and the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Export Control of Dual-use Items. When making customs declaration, the exporting operator shall indicate in the remarks column whether the items are controlled items or not, and list the export control code of dual-use items. If the Customs and Excise Department has doubts about the information reported, it will be challenged in accordance with the law, and the exported goods will not be released during the challenge period.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce said that the Chinese government hopes to strengthen foreign exchanges and cooperation through bilateral export control dialog and exchange mechanisms to promote compliant trade. This shows that China is committed to promoting the healthy development of international trade while strengthening export control.

The release of this new export control measure is an important adjustment of China's rare earth resource management policy, which will have an important impact on the international market. Rare earth elements, as key raw materials for modern industry, are widely used in aerospace, electronic information, new energy and many other fields. As the world's largest producer and exporter of rare earths, China's changes in its export policy will undoubtedly have a far-reaching impact on the global rare earth market.

This announcement is formally implemented from the date of publication and is synchronized with the update of the Export Control List of Dual-Use Items of the People's Republic of China. This initiative demonstrates that the Chinese government is continuously strengthening and improving its regulatory system for the export management of rare earth resources in order to ensure the rational utilization of resources and the long-term interests of the country.