James Kynge

These are critical minerals that are needed to make US weapons, that are needed by all the big US tech companies to make the products that they sell.

After China threatened, well, did that, and then engaged with the US in a series of talks and finally backed down,

Trump then blinked.

And now the tariffs are back down to 47.5% on average.

So to me, the key inflection point in this relationship, in this Trump administration's relationship with China, has been China's invocation of these critical mineral export sanctions on the US last October.

And then Trump blinked.

The tariffs, the US tariffs on Chinese exports came down, and this trip has sort of, you know, been in the offing ever since.

This is a patch-up work.

This is an attempt to make nice to the Chinese.

And this is why I was saying on the previous episode of China Decode, if you ask me, this is the first summit in US-China history where the Chinese president has the upper hand.

Right.

And Trump is going there asking, you know, rather than the other way around.

Well, yeah, I must say our thinking is very much aligned on this.

In addition to what we've just been talking about, you know, the commercial side of it, obviously Trump is looking for deals.

He also needs China on the issue of Iran.

And I think that Iran is becoming a more and more pressing issue for the U.S.

There are all kinds of secondary effects that we're beginning to see.

I really think that Trump needs to get done with this war with Iran.

And the route to that...

could lie significantly through China.