Exports of rare earth magnets from China to the United States surged more than sevenfold in June compared to May, signaling a sharp recovery in the supply of critical minerals used in electric vehicles and wind turbines following a new trade agreement between China and the U.S.
According to data published Sunday by China’s General Administration of Customs, rare earth magnet exports to the U.S. rose to 353 metric tons in June — a 660% increase from May.
This growth followed agreements reached in June to resolve issues with rare earth supplies. It is known that chipmaker Nvidia plans to resume sales of its H20 AI chips to China as part of this deal.
China, which supplies over 90% of the world’s rare earth magnets, included several such products on its export control list in April in response to U.S. tariffs.
The further sharp drop in shipments in April and May was linked to the lengthy process of obtaining export licenses, which disrupted global supply chains and forced some automakers outside of China to partially halt production due to a shortage of these components.
In total, China exported 3,188 metric tons of rare earth permanent magnets globally in June — up 157.5% from 1,238 tons in May. However, this figure was still 38.1% lower than in June 2024.
Analysts expect export volumes to continue rising in July as more companies obtain the required export licenses.
For the first half of 2025, China’s total rare earth magnet exports fell by 18.9% compared to the same period last year — to 22,319 tons.