China to restrict silver exports, echoing rare earths playbook

BEIJING — China is set to tighten controls on silver

exports from Thursday, expanding restrictions on the once-ordinary metal critical to the U.S. industry and defense supply chains.

CEO Elon Musk criticized the move over the weekend on his social media platform X, responding to a post about the upcoming restrictions.

“This is not good. Silver is needed in many industrial processes,” Musk wrote.

But the rules are not new. China’s Commerce Ministry first announced the new measures in October to strengthen oversight of rare metals, on the same day that U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in South Korea. At the time, Beijing agreed to a one-year pause on certain rare earth export controls, while the U.S. rolled back tariffs.

China to restrict silver exports, echoing rare earths playbook

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