China’s rare earth magnet exports to the US surged 56.1% from a month earlier to 656 tons in October 2025, the highest since January, according to General Administration of Customs data released on Thursday. The US, Germany, South Korea, Vietnam, and India were the top five export destinations for China’s rare earth magnets by volume last month. The latest data comes after China announced earlier this month that it would suspend rare earth export control measures for one year. China has begun designing a new rare earth licensing regime that could speed up shipments, but it is unlikely to amount to a full rollback of restrictions, despite hopes from Washington, industry sources told Reuters. Overall, rare earth exports in October dropped 5.2% from September, falling to 5,473 metric tons from 5,774 tons, but were up 15.8% from 4,725 tons in the same month in 2024. Year-to-date, China’s rare earth exports fell 5.2% compared with the same period in 2024, totaling 45,290 tons.
