Weekly News Review August 17 – August 23 2026

Calendar week 34, now drawing to a close, was also relatively quiet, allowing us to take a closer look at the latest export figures for critical raw materials. Find all the details in our roundup.

SAUSI ARABIA: JOINT VENTURE FOR MINERAL EXPLORATION –

State-owned companies to explore critical resources.

Saudi energy company Aramco and mining company Ma’aden have signed an agreement to establish a joint venture for mineral exploration. The initial focus will be on copper, while zinc, lead and rare earths will also be explored. The area to be surveyed covers around 182,000 square kilometers, equivalent to almost ten percent of Saudi Arabia’s total land area. Both state-owned companies will contribute their respective expertise: Aramco will provide its extensive knowledge of the subsurface as well as AI-powered analytical and computing capabilities, while Ma’aden will contribute its experience in mineral exploration and mining.

The initiative is part of the Vision 2030 reform strategy unveiled in 2016, through which the Kingdom aims to diversify its economy and reduce its dependence on the oil industry. Mining plays a central role in this strategy and is intended to become another key pillar of the Saudi economy.

DEEP SEA-MINING: USA PREPARES POTENTIAL LEASE AREAS –

Controversial form of resource extraction takes the next bureaucratic step.

In April 2025, the United States announced plans to advance deep-sea resource extraction. On Monday, another formal step was taken toward implementing those plans. The Marine Minerals Administration, established only in July and operating under the U.S. Department of the Interior, has published a “Proposed Leasing Notice”. The notice identifies areas in U.S. federal waters that could potentially be leased to companies at a later stage and sets out the conditions that would apply.

Ahead of the announcement, agency experts also assessed the potential environmental impacts of leasing the selected areas. The areas in question are located around the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory east of the Philippines. Such a lease would not, by itself, authorize future mining activities. Companies would first have to submit additional plans, which would be subject to a separate environmental review and require approval from the authorities.

CHINA: JULY EXPORT DATA FOR CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS RELEASED –

Chinese customs authorities published a range of foreign trade data on critical raw materials and components made from them on Thursday. Export trends varied significantly across product groups; gallium and germanium, for example, recorded increases compared with the previous month.

CHINA’S GALLIUM AND GERMANIUM EXPORTS RECOVER IN JULY:

According to data from Chinese authorities, significantly more gallium left the country again in July. Compared with June, exports rose from 200 kilograms to 7,200 kilograms. Malaysia received 200 kilograms, while the majority went to Germany, which remains the most important destination for the technology metal so far this year.

Germanium exports also recovered significantly in July. Following exports of 620 kilograms in June, Chinese shipments increased to 1,471 kilograms. Russia received 844 kilograms and was also the largest buyer in June. Germany followed with 361 kilograms, while Armenia received 104 kilograms. The remaining destination countries each received only small quantities.

Since the introduction of export controls on gallium and germanium in April 2023, trade flows have been heavily dependent on the respective export approvals. In addition, the market is relatively small, meaning that individual large shipments can significantly affect monthly figures. The development over several months therefore remains the more meaningful indicator.

CHINA EXPORTS MORE DYSPROSIUM, LESS TERBIUM IN JULY –

Dysprosium and terbium showed contrasting trends in July. According to Chinese customs data, dysprosium exports rose from 2,098 kilograms in June to 11,292 kilograms in July, an increase of around 438 percent. The entire volume was shipped to South Korea. In June, exports had been split between Malaysia and South Korea. Terbium exports, by contrast, fell from 3,100 to 1,314 kilograms, a decline of nearly 58 percent. Here too, South Korea was the sole destination in July.

Since April 2025, China has placed export controls on dysprosium and terbium, along with other medium and heavy rare earths, and they now require corresponding export licenses. As a result, export volumes can fluctuate significantly from month to month. In addition, both technology metals are traded in relatively small markets, where individual large shipments can substantially affect export statistics. Our chart shows how exports have developed over the year.