Overview
- EU industry chief Stephane Sejourne denounced Beijing’s licensing regime as a “racket,” citing slow approvals and demands for trade secrets that he says pressure European manufacturers.
- The European Commission will present a December 3 package proposing joint procurement, faster domestic production and recycling, new supplier partnerships, and a European Centre for Critical Raw Materials modeled on Japan’s resource agency.
- China’s October export controls rattled markets before Beijing granted a one‑year suspension, though licensing rules introduced in April continue to slow shipments and remain a source of friction.
- An EU “special channel” with China has been set up to prioritize company requests for rare‑earth exports, with more than half of about 2,000 applications reportedly approved within days, according to recent analysis.
- Reuters analysis of IEA data projects China supplying roughly 60% of key magnet rare earths globally by 2030 as the U.S. could cover about 95% of its own demand if projects advance, reinforcing the focus on new processing capacity such as the MP Materials–DoD–Ma’aden venture in the Gulf.