China confirms details amid efforts to end trade war but reiterates it will continue to approve export permits

The US has reached an agreement with China to speed up rare earth shipments into America, a White House official has said, amid efforts to end a trade war between the world’s biggest economies.

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the US had signed a deal with China the previous day, without providing additional details, and that there might be a separate deal coming up that would “open up” India.