Australia’s got reserves and mining expertise, and the United States is eager to invest in alternatives to China. But building mines, refineries and factories could take years.
In Washington, China hawks say its economy is too weak to withstand a tariff shock. In the city of Yiwu, factories are showing why, for now, that may be a miscalculation.
An interview with a 26-year-old entrepreneur, who has taken seven trips to China to buy handbags, clothes and jewelry. “China is the center of everything,” she said.
The United States hopes to become less dependent on China by increasing access to mineral-rich countries. Rare earth metals are vital to an array of modern industries.
China’s escalating curbs on the critical minerals has given Australia, a longstanding U.S. ally, the opportunity to reposition itself to a transactional president.
Xi Jinping seems to believe that only his continued rule can secure China’s rise. But as he ages, choosing a successor will become riskier and more difficult.
Evidence prepared for a collapsed espionage trial was published by an under-pressure government in Britain, offering a window into Western countries’ struggle to define Beijing as friend or foe.
His televised address as prime minister, delivered 50 years to the day after Japan announced its surrender, set a marker for his country’s “deep remorse” over wartime atrocities.
In Beijing this week, the company’s chief executive, Tim Cook, made promises similar to ones he’d made at the White House. He also got a custom Labubu.
Chinese state media is rallying the public and posting old propaganda footage, but officials are also careful to leave room for talks with President Trump.
Xi Jinping’s need to project strength before a crucial meeting of Communist Party leaders may help explain why Beijing announced new rare earth controls.
Since Beijing announced a new visa to attract young science and technology graduates, a backlash has erupted online, forcing the government to respond.