China willing to speed up approval of qualified applications for rare earth exports to EU: commerce ministry

China attaches great importance to the European Union's concerns and is willing to establish a green channel to speed up the approval process for qualified applications concerning export control, according to a statement released Saturday on the Ministry of Commerce's website.

The statement says that Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic held talks in Paris on June 3 on the EU's anti-subsidy case involving Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), China's anti-dumping investigation into brandy originating from the EU, and export control policies.

During the talks, the Chinese side further clarified China's export control policies, emphasizing that such controls on rare earths and other items are in line with common international practices.

China values the EU's concerns and is willing to establish a green channel for eligible applications to accelerate approvals for rare-earth exports, while instructing working-level teams to maintain timely communication, according to the ministry.

The Chinese side also expressed hope that the EU would meet China halfway by taking effective steps to facilitate, safeguard, and promote the compliant trade of high-tech products with China, says the statement.

China willing to speed up approval of qualified applications for rare earth exports to EU: commerce ministry

China willing to speed up approval of qualified applications for rare earth exports to EU: commerce ministry

China willing to speed up approval of qualified applications for rare earth exports to EU: commerce ministry

China willing to speed up approval of qualified applications for rare earth exports to EU: commerce ministry

China willing to speed up approval of qualified applications for rare earth exports to EU: commerce ministry

Protests against federal immigration enforcement are spreading across the United States, with the latest demonstration unfolding directly in front of the White House.

Early Saturday, more than a hundred demonstrators gathered there, demanding changes to the Trump administration's immigration policies and accountability for recent shootings involving federal agents.

Immigrant rights and civil rights groups said this weekend's rallies mark a coordinated national response. Demonstrations are planned or already underway in major cities including Philadelphia, as well as across states such as North Carolina, Florida, Texas, and Washington, D.C., where organizers are calling for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be removed from local communities.

The nationwide protests follow a deadly week in which three people were shot by federal agents in two days.

In Minneapolis, Minnesota, a 37-year-old woman, Renee Good, was killed during an enforcement operation by the ICE. A day later in Portland, Oregon, a man and a woman were wounded during a separate federal operation.

In the aftermath, Minnesota state officials accused the Trump administration of blocking their investigation by denying access to key evidence and prematurely drawing conclusions before a full review could be completed.

On Friday, Donald Trump defended the Department of Homeland Security's actions, sharply criticizing Minnesota leaders and calling them corrupt.

Local leaders have pushed back. During a Saturday news conference, the mayor of Minneapolis described ICE agents' actions as reckless.

Officials in both Minneapolis and Portland continue urging demonstrators to remain peaceful as protests intensify nationwide.

According to a 50501 Movement statement issued Friday, at least 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025.

Nationwide protests erupt in US after ICE shootings