As Trump meets Xi, rare earths give China a powerful hand

As Donald Trump meets Xi Jinping, rare earths give China a powerful hand - The Washington Post

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As Trump meets Xi, rare earths give China a powerful hand

China’s chokehold over rare earths has informed the White House’s less confrontational approach to Beijing, analysts say.

September 24, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. EDT43 minutes ago

7 min

*President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping participate in an arrival ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Wednesday. (Alex Brandon/AP)*

By Joshua Yang

Ahead of his sit-down with President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping wields a source of leverage that has strengthened his hand in the tense rivalry between their countries.

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* Cate Cadell China takes aim at U.S. rare earth companies with new export controls June 22, 2026
* Rebecca Tan and Christian Shepherd U.S. rare earth ambitions center on Malaysia. But China’s already there. November 21, 2025
* Rebecca Tan China controls trade choke points beyond rare earths. It’s squeezing them. June 16, 2026
* David J. Lynch Trump’s China deal eases U.S. rare earths plight for now, but dangers linger November 1, 2025
* Column Ishaan Tharoor As Trump meets Xi, Chinese leader has the upper hand October 29, 2025
* David J. Lynch and Michael Birnbaum Trump’s approach on China has changed, now appears focused on getting along May 12, 2026

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