U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Thursday that Chinese exports of rare earths to the United States have gotten better, though some shipments remain slow to receive official approval.
Speaking in an interview on Bloomberg Television, Greer said Chinese authorities sometimes "drag their feet" on particular export licences, and that U.S. officials frequently step in to advocate for companies impacted by delays. "I would give them a passing grade on this," he said. "We’ve certainly seen the rare earths come back up to better levels. Sometimes it’s slow. There are times when we have to go and make our point."
Greer’s comments come against the backdrop of Chinese export controls introduced in April 2025. Those measures were implemented in response to U.S. tariffs tied to Liberation Day, and they continue to tightly restrict exports of some rare earths even after a deal reached last October that Washington says included an agreement by China to allow shipments to flow more freely.
Greer, who is in China as part of President Trump’s delegation for the summit with President Xi Jinping, said U.S. officials have recently received several large consignments of yttrium. He described yttrium as a rare earth produced only in China and noted that the material had been in short supply in the United States for more than a year, contributing to shortages in the semiconductor and aerospace industries.
"Whenever we see an issue, we hear from specific companies, we engage with our Chinese counterparts and we find them to be constructive," Greer said, characterising U.S.-China engagement on individual cases as productive when problems are raised.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the remarks.
Reuters reported in April that Beijing had approved several large exports of yttrium, although those approvals still leave shipments at a lower level compared with earlier export figures, according to the reporting.
Context and implications
The developments Greer outlined indicate a partial restoration of rare earth flows from China to U.S. markets, with particular improvement in yttrium shipments. Nonetheless, the persistence of selective export controls and intermittent licensing delays means U.S. firms in semiconductors and aerospace may continue to face supply uncertainty until the licensing process consistently aligns with the expectations set out in the October agreement.