China says working on streamlining rare earth export licenses

BEIJING, Dec 4 (Reuters) - China said on Thursday it is working on streamlining rare earth export licenses - a key promised outcome after a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his counterpart Xi Jinping.

"The government is actively adapting," Commerce Ministry spokesman He Yadong told reporters at a weekly briefing, adding that authorities "were aligning themselves with general license mechanisms".

Reuters reported on Tuesday that at least three Chinese rare earth magnet makers had secured licenses enabling them to accelerate exports to some customers.

He did not say if new licenses had been issued.

China began designing the new rare earth licensing regime following a late October meeting between Trump and Xi that eased trade tensions between the two countries.