Washington has lifted restrictions on the supply of ethane to China, a component of natural gas used in the production of plastics, Reuters reported.
According to the agency, American companies have received permission from the US Department of Commerce to load ethane onto ships bound for China. However, unloading it will still require a separate permit from Washington. As the agency notes, the United States imposed licensing restrictions on ethane supplies to China just a few weeks ago. Their removal shows progress in resolving trade disputes between Beijing and Washington.
According to Reuters, half of US ethane exports go to China, so stopping supplies was not in the interests of either country. At least eight ethane ships are currently heading to China, idled off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico after the restrictions were introduced in June.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has lifted some restrictions on the export of chip design software to China, Bloomberg reported.
According to the agency, the US Department of Commerce has notified German technology concern Siemens AG that it no longer needs special government licenses to do business in China. The company has already returned full access to software and technology to its Chinese customers.
Bloomberg notes that these export control measures were introduced by Washington in May in response to Beijing's restrictions on the supply of critical minerals to the United States. Under the terms of the trade agreement concluded last week, the United States promised to allow the supply of chip design software to China, as well as the export of ethane and jet engines. Beijing, for its part, should accelerate supplies of rare earth metals to the United States.