China announced adjustments to trade measures, including the suspension of export controls on rare earths, super-hard materials and other strategic resources, as well as the reinstatement of soybean import qualifications for three U.S. companies and the lifting of a ban on U.S. log imports. These new measures followed the consensus reached in the recent China-U.S. trade talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and also came after the adjustments of multiple tariff and non-tariff measures by both sides as agreed on November 5.
Upon approval, the implementation of Announcements Nos. 55, 56, 57, and 58 of 2025 jointly issued by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and the General Administration of Customs (GAC), as well as MOFCOM's Announcements Nos. 61 and 62 of 2025, has been suspended until November 10, 2026, the statement said. The announcement pertains to the pause of four notices issued on October 9 this year. These notices had imposed export controls on certain items related to super-hard materials, rare earth equipment and raw/auxiliary materials, medium and heavy rare earths, as well as lithium batteries and synthetic graphite anode materials. The suspension covers the control measures on overseas-related rare earth items and rare earth-related technologies, which were released on October 9.
GAC also announced the lifting of an import ban on U.S. logs and the reinstatement of export qualifications for three American soybean exporters, with the measures effective from November 10. The GAC on March 4 announced the immediate suspension of log imports from the U.S., in accordance with the relevant laws, aiming to prevent the introduction of harmful species and to protect China's agricultural and forestry production, as well as its ecological security, the Customs authority said. It also announced on March 4 the suspension of soybean imports from three U.S. companies after ergot and seed coating agents were detected in shipments from the U.S., in a move aimed at protecting consumer health and ensuring the safety of imported grains.
Last week, the U.S. government declared a reduction in tariffs linked to the so-called fentanyl-related imports from China, along with an extension of the pause on certain reciprocal duties on Chinese products, effective November 10. The so-called “fentanyl-related tariff” will drop from 20% to 10%, and the temporary tariff truce has been extended for another year, lasting until November 10, 2026. China announced that it will suspend additional tariffs on certain U.S. imports starting at 1:01 pm on November 10 as part of efforts to implement the outcomes of the recent China-U.S. economic and trade consultations. The 24% additional tariff rate on U.S. imports will remain suspended for one year, while the 10% additional tariff rate will be retained, according to the statement, as reported by the Global Times.
