China shipped 512 tonnes of rare-earth magnets to the United States in August, a 21% decline from the prior month and 13% less than a year ago. This drop comes just days before the summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping scheduled for September 24 at the White House. The October 2025 trade truce promised to restore critical-mineral flows, but the data suggests those commitments have not been met, with US officials describing China’s compliance as « not up to par. » China processes an estimated 85-90% of the world’s rare-earth elements, while the United States operates only one active mine, leaving the country vulnerable to any tightening of Chinese export restrictions ahead of the November 10, 2026 suspension expiration.
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