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A central question hanging over the summit this week is whether China will agree to extend a temporary postponement of even tougher rare-earth export controls.

Steel mills, chemical factories and rare-earth refineries in Baotou, China. The Trump administration said it was in frequent communication with China about rare earths. Credit... The New York Times

May 13, 2026, 12:00 a.m. ET

As President Trump prepares to meet China’s top leader at a summit in Beijing this week, one of the most pressing issues facing the United States, the European Union and Japan lies in China’s restrictions on exports of rare-earth metals and magnets essential to advanced manufacturing.

Manufacturers of commercial aircraft, electronics, cars, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and military hardware are facing acute shortages of rare earths, many of…