The Chinese government announced on Sunday that it would suspend export controls for a year on five critical minerals that are needed to manufacture certain semiconductors as well as explosives, armor-piercing ammunition, batteries and nuclear reactors. The announcement, by the Ministry of Commerce, addressed a key difference between the statements issued by the Chinese government and the White House following a summit in South Korea on Oct. 30 between President Trump and Xi Jinping, China’s top leader. After that meeting, China said that it had agreed to a yearlong suspension of a series of export control regulations on rare earth metals and on equipment for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries, semiconductors and solar panels. The Ministry of Commerce followed through on Friday by suspending these regulations.

Full report : China suspends export restrictions for a year on five critical minerals to the US, including gallium and germanium, used to make certain types of semiconductors.