Rare earth exports from China to the United States are improving although Beijing is still slow to approve some shipments, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Thursday. China still drags its feet with some export licenses, he said during an interview on Bloomberg Television, and U.S. officials have to intervene on behalf of affected companies. "I would give them a passing grade on this," he said. "We've certainly seen the rare earths come back up to better levels. Sometimes it's slow. There are times when we have to go and make our point." China's rare earth export controls - introduced in April 2025 in retaliation for U.S. President Donald Trump's Liberation Day tariffs - continue to tightly restrict exports of some rare earths despite a deal last October in which the White House says China agreed to allow shipments to freely flow.