China Critical Minerals
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China accounted for an estimated 69% of world rare earth mine production in 2025, 79% of tungsten, 78% of natural graphite and 36% of antimony, according to USGS, and for 99% of primary low-purity gallium. It has licensed exports of gallium and germanium since August 2023, of seven medium and heavy rare earths since April 2025 and of tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum and indium since February 2025, and in November 2025 suspended two sets of its newer controls until November 2026.
69%
of world rare earth mine production came from China in 2025, and 44 million of the world's more than 75 million tonnes of reserves are there
99%
of primary low-purity gallium was produced in China in 2025, according to USGS
10 Nov 2026
end date of the suspension of China's October 2025 rare earth and related measures
Source: MOFCOM Announcement 2025 No. 70
27 Nov 2026
end date of the suspension of the US-specific ban on gallium, germanium, antimony and superhard material exports
Source: MOFCOM Announcement 2025 No. 72
Which critical minerals does China dominate?
The table shows China's share of USGS estimates of 2025 world production. The figures are for mine or primary production, so processing shares are higher still for several minerals.
| Mineral | 2025 production (USGS estimate) | Share of world | Rank | Reserves (share of world) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallium | 900,000 kg | 99% | 1 of 4 | not reported |
| Silicon metal | 4,000 kt of silicon content | 87% | 1 of 16 | not reported |
| Magnesium metal | 950 kt | 86% | 1 of 8 | not reported |
| Bismuth | 14,000 t | 86% | 1 of 8 | not reported |
| Tungsten | 67,000 t of tungsten content | 79% | 1 of 12 | 2,500,000 t |
| Tellurium | 800 t | 78% | 1 of 9 | not reported |
| Natural graphite | 1,400,000 t | 78% | 1 of 19 | 100,000,000 t (32%) |
| Vanadium | 82,000 t of vanadium content | 72% | 1 of 6 | 5,800 t (28%) |
| Rare earths | 270,000 t of rare earth oxide equivalent | 69% | 1 of 16 | 44,000,000 t |
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 chapters. Shares are calculated by this site from the USGS country figure and the larger of the USGS world total and the sum of the country figures, because USGS rounds the world total. Units differ by row. Rank is among the countries named in each USGS table. The ranking and share figures come from USGS estimates. Chinese production data are limited for several minerals, and USGS marks many Chinese figures as estimates.
Which Chinese export controls are in force?
Most of China's controls remain in force, and two sets are suspended with fixed end dates. China's statement of 28 September 2026 extended its US trade arrangements to 10 January 2027 without naming rare earths, so the November dates may move.
| Control | Effective | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallium and germanium licensing | 1 August 2023 | In force; no announcement lifting it was found | MOFCOM 2023 No. 23 |
| Graphite licensing | 1 December 2023 | In force; no announcement lifting it was found | MOFCOM 2023 No. 39 |
| Ban on gallium, germanium, antimony and superhard material exports to the US | 3 December 2024 | Paragraph 2 suspended until 27 November 2026; the ban on exports to US military users is not suspended | MOFCOM 2024 No. 46 |
| Tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum and indium licensing | 4 February 2025 | In force; USGS recorded the licensing effects through 2025 | MOFCOM 2025 No. 10 |
| Seven medium and heavy rare earths (samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, yttrium) | 4 April 2025 | In force; not named in the November 2025 suspension | MOFCOM 2025 No. 18 |
| Further rare earths and related measures (Announcements 55 to 58, 61 and 62) | 9 October 2025 | Suspended until 10 November 2026 | MOFCOM 2025 No. 70 |
The page on export controls and restrictions tracks 16 events from 2012 to 2026, including China's dual-use export ban on 20 Japanese entities announced on 24 February 2026.
What did the controls do to prices and flows?
The controls cut flows and raised prices in 2025. USGS records that US imports of germanium metal fell 67% in 2025 to 7,000 kilograms after the December 2024 ban, that China's reported germanium metal exports fell to 7,520 kilograms in the first nine months of 2025 from 18,787 kilograms a year earlier, and that unwrought indium exports fell 72% year on year to September 2025. The effects and the non-Chinese projects they stimulated are covered on the semiconductor materials page.
How has China targeted individual countries?
China has applied controls country by country as well as by mineral. After its December 2024 ban on gallium, germanium and antimony exports to the United States, China restricted dual-use exports to 20 Japanese entities on 24 February 2026 and, according to Al Jazeera, put 20 more on a watchlist on the same day, after Prime Minister Takaichi's remark about Taiwan in November 2025. The Japan profile sets out Japan's response, and the export controls page gives the full timeline.
Frequently asked questions
How much of the world's rare earths does China mine?
USGS estimates that China mined 270,000 t of rare earth oxide equivalent in 2025, or 69% of the world total. China also holds an estimated 44 million of the world's more than 75 million tonnes of rare earth reserves.
Which Chinese export controls are suspended?
China suspended its six announcements of 9 October 2025, including controls on further rare earths, until 10 November 2026, and paragraph 2 of its December 2024 announcement on gallium, germanium, antimony and superhard material exports to the United States until 27 November 2026.
Are the April 2025 rare earth controls still in force?
Yes. The licensing of seven medium and heavy rare earths from 4 April 2025 is not named in the November 2025 suspension, and USGS notes that China began issuing general licenses to selected exporters.
Does China dominate processing as well as mining?
Yes for several minerals. The European Commission's 2023 assessment found China held 100% of heavy rare earth processing and 85% of light rare earth processing, and the page on processing bottlenecks shows the mining and processing shares side by side.
Sources
Read on October 13, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Rare earths
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Gallium
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Germanium
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Indium
- MOFCOM Announcement 2023 No. 23 (gallium and germanium)
- MOFCOM Announcement 2023 No. 39 (graphite)
- MOFCOM Announcement 2024 No. 46 (dual-use items to the United States)
- MOFCOM Announcement 2025 No. 10 (tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum, indium)
- MOFCOM Announcement 2025 No. 18 (medium and heavy rare earths)
- MOFCOM Announcement 2025 No. 70 (suspension to 10 November 2026)
- MOFCOM Announcement 2025 No. 72 (suspension to 27 November 2026)
- Al Jazeera: Tokyo protests as China blocks dual-use exports to 20 Japanese companies (25 February 2026)
- European Commission: Study on the Critical Raw Materials for the EU 2023
