China to Suspend Some Rare-Earth Curbs and US Chip Firm Probes

China will effectively suspend implementation of additional export controls on rare-earth metals and terminate investigations targeting US companies in the semiconductor supply chain, the White House announced.

The White House issued a fact sheet on Saturday outlining some details of the trade pact agreed to last week by President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping that aimed to ease tensions between the world’s largest economies.

Under the deal, China will issue “general licenses” valid for exports of rare earths, gallium, germanium, antimony and graphite “for the benefit of US end users and their suppliers around the world,” meaning the ...