U.S.-China Deal Lowers Tariffs; Rare-Earth Rules Remain Unclear

A U.S.-China trade agreement has cut some tariffs but left crucial export-control details on rare-earths unresolved, producing fresh uncertainty across the automotive supply chain.

Automakers and tier suppliers are awaiting regulatory guidance on how tariff reductions will be applied and whether China will relax controls on rare-earth exports — materials essential for permanent magnets, EV motors and certain battery components. That ambiguity complicates procurement planning, cost forecasting and inventory strategies for manufacturers already juggling semiconductor shortages and rising input costs.

Separately, China has eased controls that allowed some Nexperia chip shipments to resume, providing short-term relief for vehicle production and prompting diplomatic engagement from European officials. Industry players are balancing near-term operational fixes — such as shifting suppliers or redesigning components — with longer-term moves to reduce reliance on constrained materials, including exploration of rare-earth-free motor designs.

Until regulators publish detailed implementation rules and export procedure changes, OEMs and suppliers are likely to maintain conservative sourcing positions, hedge inventories and accelerate engineering work aimed at material substitution and supply diversification.