China's export-control pause
The suspension for gallium, germanium and antimony runs to 27 November
In December 2024 China banned exports of gallium, germanium and antimony to the United States. On 9 November 2025 it suspended that ban until 27 November 2026, returning the metals to its standard licensing system. The ban on supplies to military end-users stayed in place.
In parallel, China paused for one year the wider rare-earth controls it had announced in October 2025. Both pauses can be reversed.
For Europe the lesson is unchanged: licensing is a lever, and it can tighten again at short notice. Projects outside China gain negotiating weight with offtakers, but only if their supply case is credible and their timetable is real.
Sources