Halfway around the world, all eyes are on Beijing, where Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are set to meet for talks loaded with geopolitical significance. According to Greek outlet Ethnos, the summit agenda is expected to center on energy cooperation, critical minerals, and what the paper colorfully calls the “hot Iranian potato” — a reference to the thorny question of how to manage Iran’s nuclear ambitions and regional influence.
The minerals dimension is particularly telling. Washington has been on a diplomatic offensive across the Western Hemisphere to secure supply chains for critical minerals, with Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg announcing an official tour of Guyana, Panama, and Costa Rica this same week. “I’ll advance the president’s economic agenda by strengthening alliances on energy security and critical minerals, essential for U.S. prosperity and security in our hemisphere,” Helberg wrote on X. Meanwhile, a Republican senator also called for expanded US-Brazil cooperation on regional security, underscoring Washington’s broad strategic push.
The convergence of these diplomatic threads — wooing Latin American partners while sitting across from Beijing — illustrates the high-stakes competition for resource dominance that now defines great-power relations.