BRUSSELS — China and the EU will “intensify contacts at all levels” on Beijing’s expanded export controls on critical raw materials and magnets, the EU’s Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič told reporters on Tuesday.
Wang Wentao, the Chinese trade minister, has accepted an invitation to come to Brussels to discuss the restrictions, Šefčovič said after the two talked on a call earlier.
“Our discussion lasted almost two hours,” he told press briefing in Strasbourg. “And at the conclusion of this discussion, I invited the Chinese authorities to come to Brussels in the coming days to find urgent solutions. Minister Wang Wentao has accepted this invitation.”
Beijing earlier this month expanded the list of materials and products for which importers have to request export licenses. Rare earths and magnets, the bulk of this round of restrictions, are essential in any electrification process.
Šefčovič said EU companies had submitted around 2,000 “priority applications” to the Chinese authorities, while only half of them “were properly addressed.” He added that he had reupped the lists with Wang.
“We have no interest in escalation,” the trade commissioner told reporters. “However, this situation casts a shadow over our relationship. Therefore, a prompt resolution is essential.”
In a sign of the seriousness of the supply crisis, the European Commission said in its annual work programme for 2026 on Tuessday that it would start stockpiling critical raw materials that are vital to industries from defense to carmaking.
Max Griera Andreu contributed to this report.
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