The Brief

What moved in ex-China critical minerals — China's export controls, the deals, the projects — and which of the 442 registry plants it touches. Every claim carries a source and a date. No number appears without one.

9 November 2026 · Issue 1

China extends the pause — but keeps the mechanism

The export-control suspension runs two more months, to January 2027. That is time bought, not relief granted: the machinery stays in place, and so does the leverage.

Policy · Rare earths

China extends suspension of rare-earth export controls to January 2027

The Ministry of Commerce announced a two-month extension of the suspension of its October 2025 rare-earth export controls, pushing the expiry to January 2027.

Why it matters: the controls are paused, not repealed. Buyers get certainty to January; the threat re-arms without warning after that.
Reuters, 9 Nov 2026 SMM, 9 Nov 2026 ↗
Policy · Antimony

Antimony faces a 27 November export-control deadline

China's antimony export-control regime reaches a stated deadline on 27 November, with the market watching for renewal or tightening.

Why it matters: antimony is the thinnest ex-China market in the registry — small smelter capacity outside China, so a policy shift moves price fast.
PR Newswire / Morningstar, 5 Oct 2026 Registry: antimony smelters outside China to
Deal · Rare earths

Viridis signs binding rare-earth supply contract with Solvay

Viridis Mining & Minerals signed a binding rare-earth supply contract with Solvay — Brazilian rare-earth ore to France — as part of its funding plan for the project.

Why it matters: a new Brazil to France route lands directly on the Solvay La Rochelle record in the registry and strengthens the ex-China separation chain.
Mining Magazine, 4 Nov 2026 Yahoo Finance, 5 Nov 2026 ↗
What we don't know: whether the January 2027 expiry is extended again or allowed to lapse; the volumes and pricing behind the Viridis–Solvay contract; whether the 27 November antimony deadline is a renewal or a tightening.
2 November 2026 · Issue 2

Graphite moves from permits to steel

The ex-China anode story advanced from paperwork to construction this week — a reminder that graphite's bottleneck is processing permits as much as ore.

Project · Graphite

Graphite One secures final Ohio air permit for US$80m Phase 1 anode plant

Graphite One received the final Ohio EPA air permit for its Phase 1 anode-material plant in Conneaut, effective 27 October, clearing the way for final engineering and a plant targeting 2028 sales.

Why it matters: permitting is the gating milestone for Western anode capacity — this converts an announced project into a buildable one.
PR Newswire, 2 Nov 2026 Registry: graphite anode producers to
Project · Magnets

USA Rare Earth commissions a new magnet production line at its Oklahoma plant

USA Rare Earth announced the successful commissioning of a new magnet production line at its Stillwater, Oklahoma plant.

Why it matters: magnet-making is the midstream chokepoint; a commissioned line is a step past announcement, though not yet volume.
Mining.com Registry: magnet makers outside China to
Project · Recycling

HyProMag's Pforzheim magnet-recycling plant moves into commissioning

HyProMag Germany is commissioning a rare-earth magnet recycling and manufacturing plant in Pforzheim, a project selected as strategic under the EU.

Why it matters: recycling is the only route to ex-China heavy rare earths without new mining — and Pforzheim is a live test of it.
Mkango, 28 Apr 2026 Registry: rare-earth recyclers to
What we don't know: Graphite One's actual first-production date versus the 2028 sales target; USA Rare Earth's commissioned-line capacity and yield; HyProMag's ramp rate out of commissioning.
26 October 2026 · Issue 3

Tungsten: the fifteen-name list

China narrowed tungsten exports to a named list of firms for 2026–27. The West's answer is a Pentagon sourcing rule — and a price gap that is now structural.

Policy · Tungsten

China names 15 authorised tungsten exporters for 2026–27

China said only fifteen firms would be authorised to export tungsten in 2026 and 2027, formalised through its dual-use items catalogue.

Why it matters: a named-list regime is tighter than a licensing regime — it caps who can sell, not just what.
PR Newswire / Morningstar, 16 Sep 2026 Registry: tungsten APT producers to
Policy · US

A January 2027 Pentagon sourcing rule is pulling tungsten projects into permits and restarts

Ahead of a January 2027 US Department of Defense sourcing rule, tungsten projects outside China are moving into permitting and restart phases.

Why it matters: a procurement rule is a demand signal with a date — the first time ex-China tungsten has a guaranteed buyer window.
BNN Bloomberg, 27 Oct 2026
Market · Tungsten

Western tungsten prices trade at nearly four times China's

Western tungsten prices have climbed to nearly four times those in China as export restrictions and US supply-chain policy fracture the market.

Why it matters: the gap is the price of ex-China supply — and the margin that justifies restarting idle Western capacity.
Mining.com
What we don't know: whether the 15-firm list is expanded or cut in 2027; the final scope of the Pentagon rule; how much Western capacity can actually restart before the price gap compresses.
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