NatSec Matters After Asia - The President's Trip Fortifying US Economic Security: Sara Schuman
Nov 5, 2025
Join Sara Schuman, former Senior Trade Representative for China, as she dives into the intricate U.S.-China economic landscape. She shares insights on President Trump's pivotal Asia trip and the intertwined nature of trade and national security. Listen as Sara discusses the delicate truce from the Trump–Xi meeting, reveals the impact of China's critical minerals leverage, and analyzes the evolving strategies in trade negotiations. Her unique perspective from years in China offers a fascinating lens on current and future economic policies.
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Security Built Into Trade Deals
- The President's Asia trip mixed trade deals with explicit economic-security clauses across agreements.
- Security provisions and export-control cooperation became central features of modern trade accords.
Truce Over Export Controls
- The Trump-Xi meeting produced a temporary truce trading export-control suspension for U.S. concessions.
- Both sides paused aggressive measures like tariffs, affiliates rule, and new Chinese export controls for about a year.
Rare Earths Reveal Strategic Vulnerability
- China's rare-earth export controls exposed acute U.S. supply-chain dependence and urgency to de-risk.
- Beijing can use mineral choke points to pressure U.S. manufacturing and constrain policy options.