# Trump asked Xi to lift Chinese export curbs on Japan, and Xi said the dispute should stay separate from US ties

Trump told Xi the Chinese restrictions, which include rare earths, threaten US manufacturers that rely on Japanese suppliers, a newspaper report cited by TASS said.

- Published: 2026-10-08T05:19:03.136Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/2026-10-08/trump-asked-xi-to-lift-chinese-export-curbs-on-japan-and-xi
- Publisher: Polylog (Global desk)
- Section: geopolitics
- Sources: [TASS](https://tass.com/economy/2199059), [South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370064/trump-urged-xi-talk-takaichi-and-lift-export-curbs-japan-sources-say), [Yangtse Evening Post](https://www.yzwb.net/news/yw/202601/t20260110_309696.html), [Bloomberg Government](https://news.bgov.com/international-trade/xi-is-testing-japans-ties-with-trump-by-escalating-trade-battle)

President Donald Trump urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to lift export restrictions on Japan, [TASS reported](https://tass.com/economy/2199059), citing a newspaper report. The newspaper said Trump framed the Chinese measures as a threat to American industries that rely on Japanese suppliers. According to [the South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3370064/trump-urged-xi-talk-takaichi-and-lift-export-curbs-japan-sources-say), Trump raised Japan's complaints about the restrictions, including those on rare earths, during his recent meeting with Xi. He also asked Xi to meet Sanae Takaichi, Japan's prime minister. The paper's sources said Xi was not receptive and told Trump that Beijing's dispute with Tokyo should be kept separate from the US-China relationship and should not affect it.

China states its position in security terms. On January 6, China's Commerce Ministry banned exports of dual-use items to Japanese military users, for military purposes, and to any end user that helps strengthen Japan's military capabilities, [Chinese media reported](https://www.yzwb.net/news/yw/202601/t20260110_309696.html) at the time. The ministry said the aim was to stop Japanese "remilitarization" and linked the measure to Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan. Beijing considers those remarks interference in its internal affairs. The controlled list covers more than 900 items, including gallium, germanium and antimony.

Tokyo's position is that the curbs are economic coercion hurting Japanese manufacturers. [Bloomberg Government reported](https://news.bgov.com/international-trade/xi-is-testing-japans-ties-with-trump-by-escalating-trade-battle) that Xi is using the trade dispute to test how committed Washington remains to defending Tokyo's interests. Russia's state agency TASS chose to carry the story prominently, which shows Moscow's interest in pointing out divisions among US allies in Asia.

## What this means

China can restrict critical minerals country by country, which lets it punish one US ally without breaking its trade truce with Washington. That fits the desk's thesis of two superpowers, with Beijing choosing which allies to separate from the US. Japanese makers of electronics, defense equipment and magnets are exposed through input shortages, and through them the US manufacturers Trump named. Xi's reply shows what Beijing wants: a separate deal with Washington and no joint US-Japan negotiation. The market had treated the US-China rare-earth deal as settling supply. It did not cover allies. The precedent is 2010, when China halted rare-earth exports to Japan after a ship collision near the Senkaku Islands. Japan responded by funding Australian producer Lynas and other sources, and its dependence on China fell over the following decade. The desk's read is that within months Japan and the US expand joint funding for non-Chinese mineral supply while China keeps the Japan curbs in place. That read assumes no Xi-Takaichi meeting produces a relaxation. A Chinese announcement easing licenses for Japanese civilian end users would show Trump's request had an effect.

## What to watch

- Whether Xi and Takaichi hold a meeting, which Trump requested. A meeting with any easing of licenses would show Washington can still influence Beijing on behalf of allies.
- Japanese companies' reports of shortages of tungsten, gallium or magnets. Production cuts would turn a diplomatic dispute into a direct industrial cost.
- New US-Japan funding for mineral projects outside China. Large commitments would show the allies preparing for long-term restrictions.