A rare earth mine in Ganxian county in central China's Jiangxi province. Photo by UPI
June 22 (Asia Today) -- China's exports of rare-earth magnets to Japan fell sharply in May as tighter licensing reviews disrupted supplies of materials used in electric vehicles, industrial robots and advanced manufacturing equipment.
Chinese customs data released Saturday showed that rare-earth magnet exports to Japan totaled 123 metric tons in May, down 34.6% from April, Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported Sunday.
Monthly shipments to Japan have remained below 200 tons since March.
China exported about 4,730 tons of rare-earth magnets worldwide in May, a decline of 7.7% from the previous month. The decline in shipments to Japan was more than four times the overall rate.
