Overview
- China’s Commerce Ministry said the December 2024 ban targeting U.S.-bound shipments of gallium, germanium and antimony is paused until Nov. 27, 2026, with related easing for tungsten and graphite products.
- Exporters must still obtain licenses under China’s broader export-control regime, and the separate prohibition on sales to U.S. military end‑users was not revoked.
- The announcement follows the Oct. 30 Xi–Trump meeting and comes alongside pauses on additional curbs for rare earth materials and lithium battery components and an extension of tariff suspensions on some U.S. goods.
- The White House described a wider deal including “general licenses” to facilitate shipments and broader rollbacks, which China’s statement did not confirm, highlighting a gap in how both sides frame the measures.
- China supplies the vast majority of global output for these materials—about 94% of gallium and 83% of germanium—so the suspension may ease short‑term pressures on semiconductor, fiber‑optic and defense supply chains.