Rare Earths Diplomacy: A Deal on Hold The impending state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington has brought to the forefront a seemingly intractable issue that threatens to stall progress on trade agreements between the two nations: access to rare earth minerals.
The United States Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer's successor Jamieson Greer, has blamed China for creating uncertainty over the extension of the 2025 Busan trade pact, citing Beijing's control over strategic mineral exports as a major point of contention.
This is not merely an economic issue but also one that speaks to deeper structural dynamics in the global economy.