On April 4, 2025, the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs jointly issued the "Announcement on Export Controls for Certain Medium and Heavy Rare Earth-Related Items" (Announcement No. 18 of 2025 by the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs) (hereinafter referred to as the "Announcement"), which took effect from the date of issuance. The "List of Dual-Use Items Subject to Export Control of the People's Republic of China" was also updated accordingly.
The Announcement imposes export controls on certain medium and heavy rare earth-related items, including items related to samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium. For specific details, please refer to the full text of the Announcement.
Exporters of the aforementioned items must apply for licenses in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Export Control Law of the People's Republic of China and the Regulation of the People's Republic of China on the Export Control of Dual-use Items to the competent business authority of the State Council.
Exporters are required to enhance item identification and indicate in the remarks section of customs declarations whether the items are subject to export control. For items under export control, the corresponding dual-use item export control code must be specified. If there are doubts about the information provided, customs will conduct a legal review, and the export goods will not be released during the review period.