Trump's Bilateral Dealmaking Strategy Faces Critical Test as US-China Trade Tensions Escalate

Oct 12, 2025 02:41 pm CST

President Trump's one-on-one trade negotiation approach with China faces a serious challenge as both nations escalate export controls and tariff threats. Following China's new restrictions on rare earth exports, Trump threatened 100% tariffs on Chinese goods, sending markets tumbling just weeks before a planned meeting with President Xi Jinping that could determine the economic relationship between the world's largest economies.