The European Union (EU) proposed consultations to China, which released strengthened controls on rare earth exports. To that end, Chinese officials are expected to visit the EU headquarters soon.
On the 21st (local time), Maroš Šefčovič, the EU commissioner for trade and economic security, said at a news conference in Strasbourg, France, "I had a video call this morning with Wang Wentao, Director General of China's Ministry of Commerce," noting they had a "constructive" conversation for about two hours.
He added, "To seek an urgent solution, I invited Chinese officials to Brussels, Belgium, where the EU headquarters is located, and Director General Wang accepted." As China released additional export control measures on rare earths on the 9th, the move is seen as an effort to reach a swift resolution.
In July, at a summit with the EU, China promised to apply a kind of "fast-track" measure to shipments bound for the EU when issuing export permits for China-made rare earths. However, the EU side says that promise is not being kept well.
Commissioner Šefčovič said, "Regarding shipments bound for the EU, only about half of the roughly 2,000 'priority applications' submitted by corporations are being properly processed," adding, "I conveyed this view to Director General Wang as well."