China will keep six sets of export controls on hold through Jan. 10, 2027, extending a pause that was due to expire this week. The decision covers certain rare-earth materials and technologies, as well as some lithium batteries, graphite anode materials and industrial cutting materials. It leaves a separate set of rare-earth controls introduced in April 2025 in place.
The Nov. 9 notice from China’s Ministry of Commerce and customs administration takes effect Nov. 11, the day after the previous suspension ends. The earlier suspension, announced in November 2025, covered the same six notices.
Which controls are still on hold?
The new notice identifies the six measures by their 2025 announcement numbers. The Chinese government’s account of the original suspension spells out the products and activities covered.
- No. 55 covers certain superhard materials. The original notice includes specifications for synthetic diamond powders, wire saws and grinding wheels.
- No. 56 covers certain lithium batteries and synthetic graphite anode materials. Graphite anodes are a battery component, separate from the rare-earth materials addressed elsewhere in the package.
- No. 57 covers certain equipment and raw materials used in the rare-earth industry. This part of the package reaches inputs for production as well as the materials buyers use downstream.
- No. 58 covers items related to five medium and heavy rare-earth elements, including holmium. This is the 2025 announcement, which shares a number with the 2026 notice extending the pause.
- No. 61 covers certain rare-earth items outside China. The other notices focus on specified goods or technology, while this one also raises questions about where an item was made and what went into it.
- No. 62 covers certain rare-earth technologies. It addresses technology transfers as a separate category from shipments of equipment and materials.
What still requires a license?
China’s April 2025 notice covers specified products related to samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium. It includes some alloys and compounds, as well as certain permanent magnet materials containing samarium, terbium or dysprosium. Those April rules require exporters to apply for licenses for controlled items. The new extension lists only the six October notices.
There is also a separate rule for 16 US entities. In a Nov. 9 explanation, China’s commerce ministry said it would continue suspending measures that prohibited dual-use exports to those entities. Exporters seeking to ship dual-use items to them must still apply to the ministry, which says it will grant licenses where the application meets its requirements. That decision concerns who receives a shipment, while the six-notice extension concerns which items and technologies face the October controls.
Why the distinction matters for US buyers
The US Geological Survey’s 2026 mineral summary puts US net import reliance for 14 lanthanides at 50% or more of apparent consumption in 2025. That figure measures reliance on imports overall. It does not identify the supplier for a particular magnet, battery or alloy. Two manufacturers buying similar components can therefore have different exposure depending on the material inside and how their suppliers source it.
The April notice lists some materials by composition and provides reference customs codes. That level of detail matters for a purchasing team: a supplier’s description of a part as a rare-earth magnet does not establish which entry applies. The relevant comparison is between the material the supplier is actually shipping and the descriptions in the April notice.
A buyer waiting on a shipment of dysprosium-containing magnet material has a different question from a battery manufacturer tracking a graphite input. The magnet material may still fall under the April notice. The proposed graphite controls are part of the October package that remains paused. Jan. 10 is the end date China gave for that package. The Nov. 9 notice gives no timetable beyond it.
