President Donald Trump recently announced a preliminary trade deal with the People’s Republic of China. According to a post by the president on his Truth Social social media app, the outline of the deal involves complete access to China’s rare earth minerals in exchange for the continued access of hundreds of thousands of Chinese students and researchers to American universities. 

Trump also announced movement on the tariff negotiations that, at least according to his post, were favorable to America. 

America Can’t Rely on China for Rare Earth Minerals

The real issue is at the top of the post. According to Trump, “Any necessary rare earths will be supplied up front by China. Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities.”

The terms of Trump’s deal have not yet been made public. But there are two major points of concern from the outset. First, the presence of Chinese students and researchers at American universities is not an unalloyed good. It has been shown time after time that one of the surest ways China sends industrial espionage agents into America is under the guise of foreign students. Second, and more importantly, the United States depends on rare earth minerals to create its high-technology products. It urgently needs........

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