UPDATE 1 — China September rare earth exports rise 6.7% from a year earlier

(Adds details, background from paragraph 2) Oct 14 (Reuters) — China's exports of rare earths in September rose 6.7% from the prior year, customs data showed on Wednesday, as overseas buying improved after a summer lull. The world's largest rare earth producer shipped out 4,269.8 metric tons of the group of 17 minerals essential to electric vehicles, wind turbines and defense technology, data from the General Administration of Customs showed. That was down 9.8% from 4,735 tons in August but was up from 4,000 tons in the same month in 2025. In the first nine months of 2026, total exports dropped 9.6% year-on-year to 43,711 tons. (Reporting by Amy Lv and Lewis Jackson; Editing by Christian Schmollinger) ((mailto:Amy.Lv@thomsonreuters.com;)