This is your Beijing Bytes: US-China Tech War Updates podcast.

Ting here with Beijing Bytes, your geeky tour guide through the labyrinth that is the US-China tech standoff. No need for pleasantries, let’s plug straight into what’s really sizzled over the past two weeks, because trust me, in cyber and tech, every hour matters.

Here’s the headline: right after an almost Jerry Springer-esque trade spat, Presidents Trump and Xi Jinping just staged a shock détente at their big summit in South Korea. The White House’s new fact sheet says China has agreed to pause its rare earth export controls, which were causing absolute panic in US semiconductor circles. Meanwhile, the US is shelving some planned tariffs on Chinese tech. Think of it as an awkward tech lovers’ truce: both sides smile for cameras, but nobody’s deleting anybody from their block list. They did dangle some carrots, like China letting Nexperia BV, the Dutch chipmaker’s Chinese plants, restart their shipments—huge sighs of relief from your favorite automakers who need those chips to keep their assembly lines humming. But, as experts at CSIS point out, this is more timeout than total peace; the summit didn’t touch thornier issues like who gets to sell the hottest AI chips, or what happens in Taiwan if the saber-rattling returns.

Let’s swing over to the cyber trenches, because this week’s hacks have been wild. The cybersecurity firm Arctic Wolf uncovered a slick new espionage campaign: Chinese-linked group UNC6384, likely tied to the notorious Mustang Panda, is hitting European diplomatic missions using a just-published Windows vulnerability—CVE-2025-9491, for those keeping score. Their malware PlugX, also called Destroy RAT or Korplug if you collect malware trading cards, is now miniaturized for stealth. These attacks go far beyond digital graffiti: cyber warriors want a peek inside Europe’s defense and coordination playbooks, especially given Beijing’s growing thirst for strategic insights.

Stateside, the US Commerce and even Defense and Homeland Security are circling TP-Link, the Chinese networking giant. There’s talk of an outright ban on TP-Link's Wi-Fi routers, which currently account for up to two-thirds of US home router sales—yikes, right? At stake: national security and persistent fears that home routers could become a backstage pass for Beijing in America’s digital concert. No ban yet, but the regulatory drumroll is getting louder.

Amid all these maneuvers, China loosened up on rare earths, gallium, and graphite—core elements for chips and batteries—after the US, EU, and their own markets pushed back against supply chain saber-rattling. As US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the Epoch Times and CNN, China’s aggressive export controls were a wakeup call, but the West is now charging hard to diversify those mineral supplies. The message from DC: Beijing’s monopoly days are numbered, as EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic and Bessent both highlight the global coalition taking shape.

What does this mean for tech’s near future? Expect ongoing skirmishes as both sides race for chip innovation and supply chain self-sufficiency. Expert consensus warns us not to be lulled by this “pause.” Embedded digital espionage, high-stakes tech bans, and supply chain drama are now baseline features, not bugs, in the US-China relationship. As possibilities for military “hotlines” and rare cooperative gestures emerge, every move is under the microscope, with both nations playing four-dimensional chess.

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