RH 5.13.26 | China Summit, Taiwan Tensions, AI Race & Rare Earth Leverage

👉 Subscrib to The Restricted Handling Podcast  https://www.restrictedhandling.com/  This week on The Restricted Handling Podcast we're taking you straight into the high-stakes world of US-China relations as President Trump meets Xi Jinping in Beijing. It's the first US presidential visit since 2017 and the tension is off the charts. Trade, Taiwan, AI, rare earths, Iran, energy, and strategic leverage are all on the table and both leaders are playing very different games. Trump is looking for wins he can bring home to the US from Boeing orders to agricultural deals while Xi is projecting calm, control, and long-term strategic patience.  China's economic picture is layered. Exports are strong, the trade surplus with the US is large, but domestic consumption is sluggish. Factories are automating with robotics and AI, showing off efficiency while workers in industrial hubs adapt to new realities. We'll walk you through what this really means for the US and global supply chains, including the rare-earth squeeze that affects everything from fighter jets to EV motors. Yes, the stuff you don't normally hear about but that matters for national security and global technology dominance.  Taiwan remains the elephant in the room. The PLA and PLAN are active, coast guard maneuvers continue, and diplomatic pressure is mounting. We give you the latest on military activity around Taiwan and updates on US arms sales including the pending $14 billion package. Plus, we break down subtle but important shifts in phrasing and rhetoric that could influence regional stability.  Artificial intelligence is front and center as a strategic and technological wedge. China is racing to close the gap with the US on AI, and the DeepSeek-Huawei collaboration is an important update. We discuss the implications for investors, tech industries, and national security while explaining how both countries are trying to manage risks without giving up competitive advantages.  The podcast also covers Iran and energy strategy. China continues to buy Iranian oil and opposes US sanctions while diversifying imports overland through Central Asia. We look at Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan pipeline developments and explain why these moves matter beyond just energy prices.  We also cover US counterintelligence news with cases like Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang facing federal charges for acting as an unregistered agent of China. On a more positive note, US and Chinese authorities jointly cracked a transnational synthetic opioid trafficking network showing that even amid rivalry, cooperation is possible.  On the soft power side, China's educational and cultural exchange programs are exceeding targets, and trends like "Chinamaxxing" highlight how Beijing is influencing US youth.  From trade and AI to military readiness and cultural influence, we break it all down so you understand what's happening, why it matters, and how it affects US interests in the region.  👉 Subscribe to The Restricted Handling Podcast  https://www.restrictedhandling.com/  Get the daily intelligence brief Ryan and Glenn read covering Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, the Middle East, geopolitics, sanctions, military and intel operations. Save a few hours of your time getting ahead of the news cycle at restrictedhandling.com.