President Trump inked various deals with Cambodia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. The United States’ focus on securing supply of critical minerals and processing capability became evident and includes a push in most of the agreements for first right of refusal for the U.S. of any critical minerals asset sales in the Asian countries. Also notable was the effort by the U.S. to align potential allies’ trade and investment policy with U.S. national security

While Trump and Xi agreed on some quick wins on top-of-mind issues for the U.S. and Chinese economies – a 10 percent drop in U.S. tariffs on China, soybean purchases, loosening access to rare earth elements, ship access – much remains unchanged between the two countries.

Initially understood to focus on rare earth metals, China's new export controls cover an array of products including rare earth precursor materials, metals processing technology, lithium-ion batteries, superhard materials, and a variety of technological know-how.

China is trialling a new approach to global supply chain control. If successful, this approach could become part of a new Beijing playbook at a time when the U.S. is struggling to decouple from its largest rival.

China released its Global AI Governance Action Plan on July 26, 2025, just three days after the U.S. published its own AI Action Plan. Unlike the U.S. Action Plan, which focuses on preserving U.S. national interests, the Chinese plan strongly emphasizes global cooperation as the best path forward.