Trump's trip to China on rare earths, electricity market reforms in the US, and the evolving Chinese EV market

This week on Power Plays (recorded May 13th, 2026), we are joined by a guest co-host, Henry Sanderson, while Charlotte completes an epic run in Spain. Henry is the author of Volt Rush, former journalist at Bloomberg and the Financial Times, and fellow at RUSI and Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.

This week we cover:

• Trump's trip to China - why is he going, what will he ask for in the negotiation to secure rare earth supply chains, and will this lead to more investment in the US cleantech sector?
• The PJM's electricity market reform proposals - why there are calls for reform to capacity markets, what those reforms could look like, and will they will improve reliability?
• The Beijing Auto Show and evolving EV trends - the move towards luxury EVs and battery swapping for heavy-duty vehicles like trucks
• Struggling European battery manufacturers - Morrow's bankruptcy, why Europe's manufacturing has lagged China's
• Power price moves - how lower power prices drive EVs, changes in China's market connectivity and design