It is reported that China has already begun designing a new regime for rare earth exports licensing in hopes that it could speed up shipments down the road. However, that is still not likely to amount to a complete rollback of the restrictions that is hoped for by the US camp.
Some rare earth exports were told by Beijing that they would be able to apply for new streamlined permits in the future, though Chinese officials cited said that work on these licenses could take months. Adding to that, the sources also said that these new licenses do not mean that the wide-ranging export controls that were introduced in April have been removed.
In any case, the new licenses should still allow for larger export volumes even if they will only be valid for a year. But then again, things can change just as quick as a flick of a switch with Beijing definitely still wanting to hold some leverage over Washington for their next round of serious discussions. For the time being, some Chinese rare earth companies are also reportedly saying that they have not been informed of any change to the license applications. So, there's that.
