The flag of China is placed next to the elements of Gallium and Germanium on a periodic table, in this illustration picture taken on July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration

BEIJING (Reuters) -China has suspended a ban on approving exports of "dual-use items" related to gallium, germanium, antimony and super-hard materials to the U.S., the commerce ministry said on Sunday.

The suspension takes effect from Sunday until November 27, 2026, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry announced the ban in December 2024.

The ministry also suspended the stricter end-user and end-use purpose checks for exports of dual-use graphite to the U.S., which were announced alongside the ban.

China announced on Friday the suspension of other export controls imposed on October 9, including expanded curbs on certain rare earth materials and lithium battery materials.

President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump had earlier agreed to reduce tariffs and pause other trade measures for a year.

(Reporting by Kevin Yao; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Raju Gopalakrishnan)