Chinese rare earth exports drop as trade talks continue

China's rare earth exports tumbled 23% in July to 5,994.3 metric tons after hitting a record high in June, as Beijing and Washington continue negotiations over critical materials essential to electric vehicle production and defence applications. The decline comes amid ongoing trade discussions—several days ago, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced that the US was “about halfway there” in securing commitments on rare earth magnet supplies.