Ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing and a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, multiple reports say Chinese officials privately project greater confidence in their ability to respond to U.S. trade pressure. Sources cited by outlets describe Beijing as more willing to retaliate if Washington escalates, and less concerned about the impact of tariffs. The confidence is linked to China’s use of “rare earths” as leverage, following actions taken in October. According to the reporting, China’s dominance in rare earth mining and processing gives it economic and supply-chain leverage, and Beijing believes it can withstand tariff-related pressure while retaliating if needed.
The reports also refer to a trade truce reached in October. Under that agreement, the United States eased certain tariffs, while China resumed soybean imports and suspended some rare earth export curbs. The reporting further notes that shortly before the trade truce, China announced broader restrictions on rare earth exports. While the sources do not describe specific retaliation plans, they suggest the summit diplomacy could reflect Beijing’s assessment that it has options and resilience if the trade conflict worsens.
