Beyond the immediate trade implications, the decision highlights an opportunity that African countries are increasingly trying to seize: becoming an alternative source of the minerals powering the world’s technology and industrial economies.
On Monday, China’s Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs announced that the suspension of additional export controls would remain in place until January 10, 2027.
“With approval, from November 11, 2026, to January 10, 2027, the implementation of Announcements No. 55, 56, 57 and 58 of 2025 issued by the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs, and Announcements No. 61 and 62 of 2025 issued by the Ministry of Commerce will continue to be suspended,” the Ministry of Commerce said.
The measures cover five rare earth elements, holmium, erbium, thulium, europium and ytterbium, as well as certain technologies and equipment used in rare earth processing.
The suspension also covers additional restrictions on certain lithium batteries, graphite materials and products manufactured abroad using Chinese rare earths.
However, export controls introduced in April 2025 on seven other rare earth elements remain in force, as seen on RawMaterials.
The decision matters because China occupies an unusually powerful position in the global rare earth industry.
Its dominance extends beyond mining to the processing stages that turn these minerals into materials used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, electronics, defence equipment and other advanced technologies.
That concentration has pushed the United States and other major economies to look for alternative suppliers. Increasingly, their attention is turning to Africa.
Rare earth initiatives across Africa in recent months
In August, Reuters reported that the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is stepping up its support for African rare-earth projects as private investors remain hesitant to put money into the sector, citing two senior agency executives.
The agency committed $62.8 million to projects in Malawi, Angola, Madagascar and South Africa, although none has started production.
South Africa’s Phalaborwa project accounts for the largest share, receiving about $50 million in DFC funding.
Very recently, Gabon touted plans to revive its long-delayed Mabounié niobium and rare-earth project through a proposed $2 billion investment involving Emirati-backed New Energy Metals (NEM) and Chinese engineering group ENFI.
New Energy Metals and its subsidiary, Dusk Gabon, presented a technical study for the project to President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema during his visit to Beijing at the time, according to a statement published on the Gabonese presidency’s Facebook page.
Interest in Africa’s rare-earth minerals against China
The interest in Africa’s rare earth is not simply about finding more deposits; it is also about securing alternative sources of supply outside China at a time when access to critical minerals has become an economic and geopolitical priority.
However, there is concern that African rare-earth projects pose a higher risk profile and that Chinese market intervention can undermine them through pricing and project economics.
China’s latest decision is a reminder of how much influence control over processing technology and equipment can provide.
The global race to diversify rare earth supplies could give Africa greater bargaining power.
But whether the continent benefits will depend on its ability to move beyond supplying minerals and become a meaningful part of the industries built around them.
Source: africa.businessinsider.com
