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

You are tuning in to Beijing Bytes with Ting, your favorite source for US-China Tech War updates—where the firewall is always hot and the rumors never run dry. Let’s plug right into this past fortnight, because whew, it’s been silicon drama on a global scale.

First shockwave: China’s new export controls on rare earth elements, announced by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce on October 9. Beijing is now requiring licenses for almost every category of rare earths—and get this, if your widget contains just 0.1% of Chinese rare earth content, or was even produced using Chinese tech, it’s time to queue for export approval. Rare earths power everything from semiconductors to missile guidance, so this is no mere bureaucratic shuffle—think geoeconomic jiu-jitsu straight from the Xi Jinping playbook. According to the Egmont Institute, these rules target not just the US but anyone, and mirror US chip restrictions almost “to the letter”. The point? Leverage, both for upcoming negotiations—yep, all eyes on the Trump-Xi face-off at APEC next month—and to force domestic firms to keep tech and investment at home.

And right on cue, President Trump counterpunched within hours, announcing a 100% tariff on all Chinese goods, set for November. Rare earths, chips, shipbuilding—if you can trade it, it’s probably got a tariff on it now. The US Department of Commerce isn’t letting up either, rolling out the new “Affiliate Rule” to expand export controls to foreign subsidiaries even partially owned by sanctioned Chinese firms. This is tech decoupling’s “new normal”: tit-for-tat, export bans as negotiation chips, while both sides scramble for resource independence. SP Global points out even batteries aren’t safe, with China adding high-energy cells and key materials to the controlled-goods list taking effect next month. EU manufacturers, consider stocking up now.

While policymakers play chess, the cyber front is pure cloak-and-dagger. Last week, the world learned from Symantec and The Hacker News that Jewelbug—a Chinese-linked threat group—quietly infiltrated a Russian IT provider for five months straight. Data exfiltrated via Yandex Cloud, targeted code repositories, and possible supply-chain hacks? Russia might be a tech partner, but in cyber-espionage land, there are no true friends. Meanwhile, F5 Networks, a Seattle-based cybersecurity giant, disclosed it was pwned by nation-state hackers (translation: likely China, but lips are sealed), with source code and vulnerability data stolen. This raises red flags for federal agencies: CISA put out an emergency directive, and now every department running F5 hardware is scrambling to patch before someone flicks the on-switch for a supply-chain meltdown.

Stateside, the strategy on research is also under the microscope. Reports from Strider Technologies and the US House are raising alarms—over 500 universities still collaborate with China-affiliated military researchers. As revealed by Fox News, efforts to clamp down on these STEM exchanges are ramping up, with tighter visa vetting and academic partnerships under scrutiny. The fear? Illicit tech transfer and a boost for China’s next-gen military.

So what does it all mean? Experts say we’ve entered a permanent cycle—export controls on both sides feeding uncertainty, industries forced into expensive supply chain rewiring, and every smart device now a digital battlefield. Most forecast stiffened restrictions and new tech alliances, but say the wild card is political. If November’s APEC talks go sideways, brace for escalation—in tariffs, cyber, and regulatory chess.

That’s it for this round of Beijing Bytes with Ting! Thanks for tuning in—subscribe for more, because next week, who knows what’s cooking in the cyber-silicon wok. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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