Rare Diplomacy

DIPLOMATIC MEMORANDUM (COPY)

Date: October 16th, 2025

From: Office of Strategic Dialogue, Public Intelligence Project CIA Labs - St. Louis / Deputy Director Christopher L. Fitzgerald 

To: U.S. Department of State, The Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP)

Subject: Reframing U.S. Rhetoric on China’s Rare Earth Export Controls

I. Overview

Recent remarks by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, describing China’s rare earth export controls as a “global supply-chain power grab,” risk undermining diplomatic efforts and escalating tensions unnecessarily. This memo urges a recalibration of public messaging to prioritize strategic dialogue over inflammatory rhetoric.

II. Background

China’s expanded export restrictions on rare earth elements reflect a broader effort to stabilize domestic markets and assert economic sovereignty. While these actions have implications for global supply chains, they are not fundamentally different from the United States’ own use of commodity leverage and the U.S. dollar to shape international trade dynamics.

III. Analysis

A. Economic Parity

Both China and the U.S. employ strategic tools to maintain influence in global markets. Labeling China’s actions as coercive while ignoring parallel U.S. practices risks hypocrisy and weakens our credibility.

B. Diplomatic Risk

Comments like Greer’s distract from constructive engagement and may provoke unrest among both American and Chinese populations. They also complicate efforts to build multilateral consensus on supply chain resilience.

C. Strategic Opportunity

Sound trade practices, when implemented through respectful dialogue, can foster peaceful and sustainable partnerships. The current moment calls for negotiators—not provocateurs.

IV. Recommendations

1. Messaging Discipline

Encourage senior officials to avoid inflammatory language and focus on shared economic interests and mutual stability.

2. Bilateral Engagement

Reaffirm commitment to dialogue with Chinese counterparts on rare earths and critical minerals, emphasizing transparency and reciprocity.

3. Multilateral Coordination

Work with allies to diversify supply chains without framing the effort as anti-China. Promote resilience, not rivalry.

4. Public Diplomacy

Counteract fear-based narratives with fact-based messaging that highlights the benefits of cooperation and the dangers of escalation.

V. Conclusion

There is ample room for peace—but no room for fear mongering , coercion, or negotiation by insult. Leaders on both sides, including President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump, must ensure their administrations prioritize diplomacy over disruption. The path forward demands clarity, respect, and a shared commitment to global stability.

VI. Reference

Reuters. “Rare Earths Tensions Rise as U.S.–China Trade Barbs Escalate.” October 16, 2025.

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/rare-earths-tensions-rise-us-china-trade-barbs-2025-10-16