On today’s show Andrew and Bill react to the PRC’s announcement of expanded export controls on rare earths and related manufacturing equipment. Topics include: Why countries around the world were immediately concerned, clarifications offered from the PRC that may not allay those concerns, and why viewing these rules as a response to the recent BIS updates is overly simplistic. From there: The American response to the rare earth measures, including Trump's "Xi had a bad moment" comment, TACO predictions that may age poorly, why this move may have been a tactical error from Xi, and why capitulation or escalation may be a binary choice for the US. At the end: A supply chain wake-up call for the whole world, the Netherlands takes control of a Chinese-owned chipmaker, and lessons from the UK as the spy trial controversy continues to unspool.
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Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism
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Rare earths standoff redux; Dutch government takes control of Nexperia; Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women; Fourth Plenum next week — Sinocism
Scott Bessent slams China: ‘They want to pull everybody else down with them’ — Financial Times
Beijing Declares Economic War on the United States — China Articles
China and Rare Earth Metals, Chips and Rare Earths, The U.S.’s Self-Inflicted Challenge — Stratechery
Cars to Fighter Jets: China’s New Export Curbs May Level a Heavy Blow Worldwide — New York Times
China’s Rare-Earth Escalation Threatens Trade Talks—and the Global Economy — Wall Street Journal
Trump to Hit China With Additional 100% Tariff, Citing Restrictions on Rare-Earth Elements — Wall Street Journal
U.S., China Aim for a Delicate Balancing Act on Trade — Wall Street Journal
GM’s Rare-Earth Gamble Pays Off as China Tightens Magnet Exports — Wall Street Journal
Chinese Exports Surge, Giving Xi Stronger Hand in Trade Fight — Bloomberg
Dutch government takes control of Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia — Financial Times
Police found secret messaging app used by Beijing agents on spy suspect's burner phones — Daily Mail
Sinocism Live: The UK-China spy scandal and UK-China relations with Charles Parton — Sinocism