As Xi Jinping and Donald Trump prepare to meet in Beijing, one European diplomat says the bloc is aware ‘we have little leverage here’
4-MIN READ4-MIN ListenFinbarr Berminghamin BrusselsPublished: 8:30pm, 12 May 2026In a conference centre in The Hague last October, a roomful of Asia-watching European officials and experts were gathered for a symposium on relations with China when news broke that Beijing was expanding export controls on rare earths and other minerals.Crucially, there was now an extraterritorial element: China could deny exports not only to direct buyers, but also restrict products made in third countries if they contained Chinese-origin rare earth content or controlled inputs.
“It’s not the most fun thing for a diplomat to say that I’ve been shepherding a steadily declining relationship on a daily basis for the last four years and trying to manage decline … but it’s hard to disagree,” Porter said.
