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The United States, Japan and South Korea agreed to resist “economic coercion” and emphasised the need for stability in the Taiwan Strait, taking an implicit shot at China just days before President Xi Jinping’s White House summit.The three countries plan new talks on economic security and enhancements to a trilateral supply chain early warning system, according to a statement issued after a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and counterparts Toshimitsu Motegi of Japan and Cho Hyun of South Korea on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday. They also agreed to boost cooperation on technology, including Artificial Intelligence and Semiconductors.The trio voiced opposition to policies that lead to “harmful overcapacity” as well as “arbitrary export restrictions that disrupt supply chains”, mirroring Western complaints about Chinese trade practices, including controls on rare earth shipments. The statement didn’t explicitly mention China.Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was also among a number of world leaders due to meet US President Donald Trump at the UN on Tuesday ahead of the Trump-Xi summit on Thursday. China has pared rare earth shipments to both countries recently, as well as squeezing Japan more broadly amid a diplomatic row caused by comments that Takaichi made about Taiwan last year.The three-nation statement “encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues and opposed any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo”. Beijing regards Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary.The statement also reiterated “ironclad commitments” from the US to the defence of Japan and South Korea, and renewed support for North Korean denuclearisation.Related news: The US-China trade war truce could be extended by three to six months beyond its November 10 expiration date, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Bloomberg TV. Still, it was unlikely that an agreement would be announced this week amid “uncertainty” caused by China’s control of rare earth minerals exports, he said. The two countries met for a second day of trade talks in New York on Monday ahead of the Trump-Xi summit. China’s foreign ministry also confirmed that Xi would visit the US from Wednesday to Friday. It will be the Chinese leader’s first state visit to the country in more than 10 years. Xi and Trump last met in Beijing in May. China boosted energy imports from Canada and Russia last month, easing a decline in overall shipments amid supply disruptions in the Middle East. Imports of Canadian oil were up by 35 per cent in volume from a year earlier, and by 64 per cent in value. Shipments of Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG) more than tripled. Supplies of Russian oil and LNG both rose by more than 40 per cent. China’s overall oil imports fell by 23 per cent, weighed down by a 45.5 per cent slump in crude oil imports from six Middle East nations, including Saudi Arabia. The top Democrat on the US Senate’s foreign policy committee said she hoped that Trump “will not say anything that indicates a lack of support for Taiwan” during his talks with Xi. “In Congress, there is very strong bipartisan support for our historic position with respect to Taiwan,” Senator Jeanne Shaheen said at the Concordia Summit in New York on Monday. Still, Americans are less supportive of Taiwan than in previous years and see Beijing as less of a threat, according to a Chicago Council on Global Affairs survey. Separately, Ro Khanna, the senior Democrat on the US House Select Committee on China, said that the US and China should agree on international regulatory standards for Artificial Intelligence, akin to Cold War-era agreements on nuclear weapons. How others reported it Out in the cold: It is difficult to see a major or irreversible rift developing between Washington and Tokyo. But a China-US summit that leaves Japan’s interests out in the cold will be an unneeded challenge for the alliance at a critical time. Takaichi undoubtedly knows that Trump is a free agent, and that he will do whatever he thinks will “make America great again.” When she meets with Trump ahead of his summit with Xi, her challenge will be to impress upon the US president Japan’s perspective and why it is critical for the Japan-US alliance to continue functioning at a close level. Although the alliance remains strong, a failure to coordinate could lead to friction in this relationship despite its importance to both Washington and Tokyo. (The Diplomat, opinion) No intermediary: Under Ms. Takaichi, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has lost the support of the Komeito party, formerly its main coalition partner, which had served as a conduit to China. “What is lacking,” said Chen Hong, director of the Asia-Pacific Studies Centre at East China Normal University in Shanghai, “is someone who can be taken seriously by Beijing and genuinely influence Takaichi’s decision-making.” (The New York Times) Personal rapport: The world’s most powerful nations need to communicate, and personal trust between leaders can be helpful. But Mr. Trump has largely rejected the strategic competition with China that defined his first term, and now he is betting on his personal rapport with Mr. Xi to advance American goals. So far there hasn’t been much tangible to show for it. (The Wall Street Journal) Starting from scratch: “The Western companies are still developing their [rare earth] technology, doing everything from scratch,” said Derek Zhang, a Daiwa Securities analyst. “The Chinese companies can ramp up capacity very easily and the cost is maybe about 1/10th.” (Bloomberg News) Unwanted demands: Beyond concerns about China and Taiwan, Takaichi will also face a number of other challenges at the talks, including the risk of triggering unwanted demands from the US president merely by meeting him. ... The International Criminal Court issue, in particular, has put Takaichi in an unenviable position. Trump has sanctioned the court’s president, Japanese judge Tomoko Akane, and his administration has reportedly prepared sanctions against the entire ICC as it ramps up its plans to dismantle the body. (The Japan Times) The SCMP Plus takeawayJapanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is hoping that her close ties with US President Donald Trump will help to ease strains from a rift with China.Takaichi touched the third rail of relations with China last November by suggesting that her nation could be drawn into a hypothetical conflict involving Taiwan. Beijing regards the island as part of its sovereign territory to be eventually reunited by force if necessary.China has been putting the squeeze on Japan ever since, issuing official protests, cancelling flights and axing tourist visits among other steps.The most painful measure may have been a reduction in supplies of rare earth minerals, which are vital across industries including technology, carmaking and defence. For instance, China cut shipments of rare earth permanent magnets to Japan by 17.1 per cent last month versus a year earlier, according to its customs data. That followed a 52.2 per cent plunge in July. There were significant August declines in shipments of other critical minerals, including an 11.2 per cent fall for rare earth metals, a 48 per cent slump for rare earth compounds, a 77.1 per cent dive for natural graphite and a 94.7 per cent plunge for unwrought tungsten.The clampdown on heavy rare earth metals has been even tighter. Shipments of dysprosium have been halted since October, and those of terbium have been on pause since November, the customs data shows. Both are used in high-performance magnets needed for clean energy technology and industrial robots, as well as aerospace equipment and advanced military systems.China’s stranglehold on global rare earth minerals has become a national security concern in Japan, the US and other countries. More than 75 per cent of US weapons systems rely on Chinese critical mineral supplies, according to a May 2025 report by defence software company Govini.China has established this grip through a decades-long push to dominate rare earth mining and processing. JL Mag Rare Earth, based in Inner Mongolia, for instance, has become the world’s biggest supplier of high-performance magnets, boasting 10 times more production capacity than its closest US rival, according to Bloomberg News. The company is a vital supplier to electric-vehicle makers, including Elon Musk’s Tesla and Volkswagen, the report said.In Japan, executives are scrambling to rebuild critical minerals supply chains and seeking to tap state stockpiles that the government began building in 2010, when China also curbed shipments amid a diplomatic row.Takaichi has also sought Trump’s help, tapping into their strong personal relationship. Trump called the prime minister his “biggest fan” at a Group of Seven meeting in June and said Japan was “doing very well” under her leadership. Unlike other G-7 leaders, Takaichi has avoided criticising Trump over the Iran war or other bones of contention.Japan, the US and other nations can cooperate in developing alternatives to Chinese rare earth supplies. Takaichi and Trump agreed a deal to work on mining and processing in October. The difficulty is that such efforts will probably take years to accomplish any meaningful results.In the short term, Japan is likely to need to find a way to get more supplies from China. Takaichi may expect Trump to raise the subject with Xi at their White House summit on Thursday. Still, it’s probable that the America First president will prioritise securing supplies for the US, as the country has also suffered its own disruptions.Takaichi will have to watch on and hope that Trump doesn’t cede ground on Japan – or Taiwan – in order to secure Chinese orders for soybeans, aircraft and liquefied natural gas.