On October 21, Sanae Takaichi completes her first year as Japan's prime minister. Takaichi's first year reached 2 percent of GDP on defense two years early, ended the ban on lethal arms exports and said out loud that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could pull Japan into war. China answered with sanctions. Washington got the ally it wanted.
The Trump-Xi summit in Washington ended with a two-month extension of the trade truce and nothing else: no deal on Iran, Taiwan, chips or rare earths. Xi wanted an end to arms sales to Taiwan; Trump wanted leverage on Tehran and delivery on old promises. Stability beat escalation, but broken promises earn only a shorter leash.
The BRICS summit in New Delhi ended with a 45-page declaration that never names the United States. Modi rebuked China over critical minerals, Russia won silence about Ukraine, Iran left with its existing payment channels endorsed, not defended, and no common currency appeared. Eleven countries, eleven agendas, one photograph.
The Africa integration crisis deepens this week as the US and China race for cobalt, lithium, and rare earths across the continent. From AFRICOM's faith outreach to Djibouti's mounting debt to China, see the forces shaping Africa's future, and why America's investment model differs sharply from Beijing's extraction approach.
Congo conflict minerals are at the center of a war most people know nothing about. The DRC produces 70% of the world's cobalt and 60% of global coltan reserves. Those minerals power your phone, your electric vehicle, and precision missiles. China controls most of it. A rebel group controls the mines. America must pay attention.
Brazil rare earths hold 23% of global reserves, second only to China. Lula told Trump: all investment welcome, but processing stays on Brazilian soil. A 2,800 million dollar US acquisition of Serra Verde is on the table. If America loses this deal, China moves in fast. The window is closing, and Beijing is already watching closely.
G7 rare earths took center stage in Paris, May 2026, as finance ministers warned of China's 90% stranglehold on global processing. With the Strait of Hormuz virtually closed and oil above $103, the West is finally treating mineral dependency as the national security emergency it always was.
