Rare Earth to APEC: Trump vs. Xi

Oct 18, 2025 - 09:56

Why did Xi Jinping suddenly launch a rare-earth blitz against the world? In this episode, we uncover Xi’s true motives — to reassert control, silence rumors of failing health, and prove he’s still in charge before the Fourth Plenum and APEC summit. But the move backfired. Trump’s sharp response exposed divisions inside Beijing and deepened Xi’s “bad moment,” both politically and psychologically. As APEC approaches, uncertainty looms: will Xi show up to face Trump, or hide behind the Fourth Plenum’s chaos? This rare-earth offensive may have set the stage for Xi’s biggest political reckoning yet.