Remember when Donald Trump began a tariff war with ... the world?

We thought that was old news. But over the weekend, the US president and Chinese President Xi Jinping made announcements that could – if they follow through with them – lead to what our international editor calls “mutually assured economic destruction”.

Today, Peter Hartcher on China’s cartel-like squeeze on the supply of rare earths, the minerals every country is beholden to for its defence and technology. And whether Prime Minister Anthony Albanese might emerge as a key dealmaker in this space when he meets Trump in Washington next week.