Lewis Jackson

Trade in agriculture, energy and rare earths has become major bargaining chips in the trade war between the United States and China and are likely to feature again when President Donald Trump hosts his counterpart Xi Jinping in Washington next ​week.

Some Chinese rare earth suppliers are declining to ship to the U.S. for fear of repercussions from Beijing, three sources said, ​underscoring how access to the materials remains an issue for the U.S. weeks before President Xi Jinping visits Washington.

For five years, China imported an average of 11.5 million barrels of oil per day. Since April, it has averaged just 8 million bpd.

China's Sinopec said it had completed the restructuring of China National Aviation Fuel (CNAF), the country's dominant jet fuel distributor, ​according to a company statement on July 10.

China's CATL has obtained a safety production permit ​for its flagship Jianxiawo mine, clearing a ‌key regulatory hurdle to restart production following a suspension that lasted nearly a year.

China on Wednesday announced plans for a whistleblower hotline ​to encourage citizens to report smuggling ‌of restricted critical minerals, as Beijing continues its crackdown on a sector that has provided so much diplomatic ​leverage.

China exported small quantities of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to Southeast Asia and other regions in April, as fuel exports fell to the lowest ​in a decade on Beijing's curbs to safeguard against energy market disruptions caused ‌by the Iran war.

China will accelerate the construction of strategic mineral reserve ​sites, state news agency Xinhua reported ‌on Wednesday.

China will address U.S. concerns about rare earth shortages, the White House said.

The Chinese ‌government has agreed to cooperate with Australian businesses on jet fuel shipments, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Wednesday, suggesting China could loosen curbs on exports imposed amid supply disruption from the Iran war.