In a dramatic escalation of the US-China trade war, Beijing has hit back hard after Washington imposed 145% tariffs on Chinese goods. China has now banned its airlines from taking further deliveries of Boeing aircraft and halted imports of aircraft-related parts from the US. In a bigger blow, it has also blocked the export of six rare earth minerals crucial for global tech and defense industries. As President Xi Jinping shores up new allies across Asia, this package decodes the deepening standoff and its global economic fallout.