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President Trump’s dramatic threat to slap a 100 percent tariff on Chinese imports has Beijing loudly defending its recent curbs on rare-earth exports while trying to posture as the reasonable party. The Chinese Commerce Ministry called the U.S. move hypocritical, but Beijing’s decision to weaponize critical minerals is what forced this moment — and it’s a moment our leaders had to meet with steel, not apologies.
Rare earth elements aren’t some abstract academic debate; they’re the backbone of modern manufacturing, defense systems, and next-generation technologies, and China still controls the lion’s share of processing and exports. When a rival nation can choke off supply lines for our weapons, our clean-energy transition, and our manufacturers, that’s not trade policy — that’s a national-security threat and an economic chokehold to be broken.
That’s why the administration’s tough stance is both necessary and overdue, and why U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s focus on standing with American farmers and manufacturers is the right political and moral posture. Our producers shouldn’t be collateral damage to Beijing’s geopolitical games, and Washington needs to pair economic pressure with immediate relief and market access programs for rural America.
Make no mistake: the Chinese Communist Party’s bluster about “legitimate security concerns” is a cover for protectionism and geopolitical coercion, not principled trade policy. Washington must call out this hypocrisy and treat any future meetings with Xi Jinping as contingent on verifiable, structural changes — American interests first, no more backroom capitulations.
If the administration truly wants durable leverage, it should fast-track domestic mining and processing of critical minerals, deepen partnerships with friendly allies, and provide targeted support to farmers and manufacturers hurt by short-term disruptions. That means permitting, investment incentives, and long-term trade deals that reduce dependence on Beijing while rewarding American labor and ingenuity.
This is a fight about sovereignty and economic independence, not mere tariffs and sound bites, and patriots should be proud to see a president willing to defend the country’s strategic interests. It won’t be painless, but rebuilding supply chains and backing American workers is how we win — and we should stand behind leaders who put the American people first.
