Preliminary

Just received from China a batch of rare-earth magnets weighing up to 2,582 tons, the EU turned its head and prepared to blow up sanctions, say good cooperation and win-win, how in a blink of a glance changed side faces?

In the latest round of the sanctions list against Russia, the EU haunted 12 Chinese companies, and did not forget to throw out a phrase "to blame third-country companies".

On the one hand, with sanctions, where is the face of the EU?

Once the 19th round of sanctions on Russia appeared, it pushed 12 Chinese companies to the tip of the wind, these Chinese enterprises, have refined oil, have petrochemical, and also energy trade: one and rare earth does not matter, but are all labeled "indirect aid to Russia", the logic of the EU is that these enterprises are suspected of violating the sanctions provisions against Russia, by purchasing oil to support the Russian war machine.

In a statement, Von der Leyen said: ¡°You can¡¯t let third-country companies drill the air.¡± ¡°It sounds hard, but the truth is blatant. Ironically, the sanctions plan has not yet been formally adopted, and 27 member states have to vote for it to come into force.

But no matter where the scene ends, the EU's move of bringing Chinese enterprises in has already lowered the thermometer of China-EU relations several degrees. Just after importing more than 2,600 tons of rare earths from China, I turned my face and engaged in the so-called "long-arm jurisdiction". This operation of "buying your rice and smashing your rice bowl" makes people shake their heads.

The old drama repeats, sanctions on Chinese companies are not the first time, but this time is hitting rare-earth ribs.

In fact, it is not the first time that the EU has sanctioned Chinese companies. It has almost become a fixed process for the United States to take action at the front foot and the EU to keep up at the back foot.

Before there were three synthetic semiconductors, Chinese technology was hanged on the name of "supporting the Russian army", this time there are 12 companies, the route is still, change the soup without medication, but this time different, hit China's rare-earth mark. to know, China in the global rare-earth industrial chain is the appropriate "carrier": lithium, uranium, graphite these key minerals, China has the most refining capabilities.

China¡¯s exports of rare-earth magnets to the EU increased by 21% in August, reaching 2,582 tons ¨C an unavoidable gateway for the EU in new energy transition, automotive electrification, and wind power equipment.

The EU does not know this, last year China just announced the implementation of export controls on rare-earth items, European enterprises immediately exploded the pot, worried that the supply chain was broken, this time it was not easy to slow down the breath, just got the goods turn the face, it is not surprising that the outside world commented on a word to summarize: the European Union is "one more food and play".

The mouth says "strategic autonomy", but the body honestly relies on China's industrial chain.If the EU really plays this set of sanctions to the end, it is not only likely to hurt China, but may break its own dish.

Should the United States or the Chinese stand up?

The account behind it, in fact, is not complicated, on the one hand, the EU needs to co-ordinate with the pace of the United States, continue to add to the sanctions on Russia, show the White House the "good guys" gesture, on the other hand, but do not want to completely waste the opportunity for cooperation with China, shouting "strategic autonomy" in the mouth, and still afraid of falling out.

Von der Leyen just rejected the U.S. proposed "secondary sanctions on China and India", saying that the European Union should "decide itself". but this turn to the Chinese enterprises, it looks like it is a knock on the U.S., moreover, the EU's internal sanctions on Russia are serious differences, some countries are afraid of economic injury, some are simply unwilling to blame China.

Therefore, the step of sanctioning Chinese companies seems tough, but it is actually the product of a "dilemma". On the one hand, it wants to use this trick to put pressure on China and let China "persuade old friends" on the Ukrainian issue; On the other hand, I am afraid that there will be a real falling out, and the life gate of rare earths will be held to death.

From this perspective, the sanctions are more like a ¡°political show¡±, both to please Washington and fear to blame the South China Sea, and the result can only be a ¡°riding the wall¡± gesture.

China¡¯s attitude is unambiguous, rare earth is just the bottom line, not the weapon.

In the face of this wave of EU operations, China's response is very clear: it does not accept it, and it does not accept it. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already made representations, and the Ministry of Commerce has even bluntly stated that China firmly opposes such unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and are not authorized by the Security Council.

The key point is that China has not been cruel to the EU. Although rare earth resources are China's trump card, they are not random cards. China has repeatedly stated that as long as it is for civilian use and normal cooperation, China has always promised stable supply, but the problem is that if the partners themselves don't follow the rules and smash the pot while eating, it is hard to say whether the situation will change.

China's attitude toward rare-earth exports, in fact, has always been very clear: this east military and civilian two uses, control one, control one control, reasonably legal, the whole world is doing this, but if the opponent takes cooperation as a code, take Chinese enterprises as targets, then China will not sit and wait.

Don¡¯t forget that China also has the ¡°Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law¡± card. Legally, how to counteract, there are chapters to follow; diplomatically, how to counteract, there are words to say.

conclusion

The EU's sanctions operation this time, to put it bluntly, is tearing itself apart in contradictions: it is inseparable from China's resources, and it has to pretend to be "I am very hard". The result is to offend people and hurt myself at the same time. As soon as 2,582 tons of rare earths took their breath, they began to force 12 Chinese companies to admit their losses. This kind of "turning their faces faster than turning a book" attitude is incomprehensible and even more difficult to convince.

In the short term, this round of sanctions may not really land; in the long run, if the EU does not adjust its mindset, the trust between Central Europe will only be slowly wasted. Diplomacy is not home, business is not a game. If the EU really wants to stand firm in the global game, we must first learn one thing: cooperation, not unilateral demand; trust, not a hammer to buy and sell.

The rules that should be observed can't be disorderly, and the partners that should be respected can't be disorderly. Otherwise, next time, it may not be a problem of 2,582 tons.

References:

The EU targets Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" through the 15th round of sanctions against Russia

2024-12-17 International Online

What is the EU's 18th round of sanctions against Russia?

2025-07-16 International Online