The Chinese side issued two announcements in succession and dealt a heavy blow to the United States. Only then did the Trump administration see clearly that China had already left a hand.
Recently, the Ministry of Commerce of China issued two announcements, once again strengthened the export control of rare-earth related objects, and carried out stricter regulations on the export of rare-earth mining, metallurgy separation, metallurgy and other related technologies and their carriers. Cut off the possibility of certain “don’t use” countries trying to obtain rare earth without the permission of China.。
Rare earth control makes a "heavy punch", stuck the lifeblood of the US military industry and industrial chain
Since the U.S. launched a trade war, "Rare earth control" has become an important trump card for us to launch a counterattackIt has also become a “soft rib” that the Trump administration has always had difficulty tackling.
As is well known, rare earth is known as "industrial vitamins", although the reserves in the crust are not scarce, but due to its special physical and chemical properties, it is a necessary raw material for high-end manufacturing, new energy, national defense and military industry.
Especially the U.S. proud military industry, the dependence on rare earth is almost "just needed", take the most typical equipment of the U.S. military as an example, a F-35 hidden fighter needs to consume hundreds of kilograms of rare earth elements, to the high-frequency stability of the radar system, the precision of the laser-guided device, the heat resistance of the high-temperature alloy coating of the engine.
Similar problems, there are many in the U.S. army's cutting-edge weapons, which means that in the absence of these key raw materials, the U.S. military's cutting-edge equipment is not only greatly reduced performance, but even basic reliability is difficult to guarantee.
Compared to previously focused controls on the export of rare-earth resources, we can clearly see that the announcement emphasizes the control of technical resources.
On the one hand, this means that even if other countries have rare earth mines, they cannot be converted into usable functional materials without China's smelting and processing technology.
On the other hand, targeting "overseas rare earth-related items containing Chinese ingredients" means that even if these products are processed overseas and circulated for the second time, as long as they eventually flow to sensitive fields such as the military, or indirectly serve the needs of the US military industry, they will be strictly controlled.
More importantly, the announcement stipulates that if foreign organizations use rare earth products produced by rare earth technology or equipment originating in China, they also need to obtain China licenses when exporting to regions outside China, which is equivalent to putting a "China lock" on the global rare earth industry chain.
This stereo control of the “resource + technology + industrial chain” directly cuts the way the U.S. bypasses sanctions to obtain rare-earth materials through third parties.
Also, this In recent years, it has become even more difficult for the United States to try to get rid of the struggle of being "cut in the neck" by supporting the development of rare earth mines in countries such as Australia.。
There are still a lot of “back” in China, but the US will only get more painful.
Today, China's tightening of technology exports is equivalent to strangling the global rare-earth industry chain from the source. Let the U.S. military industry face the trouble of "no rice pot".。
Rare-earth control is just one of China’s counter-tools, and if the trade war continues to escalate, China’s “backbone” in more fields will put the United States under even greater pressure.
The reason why I say this is that with Trump's "efforts", no matter how many allies the United States finally harvests, the trend of "de-Americanization" of the global industrial chain is irreversible.
At the same time, China has formed the world's most complete industrial chain system in the manufacturing field, covering almost all industrial categories from basic raw materials to end-consumer goods.
In recent years, the United States has tried to force manufacturing to flow back through tariff barriers and technological blockades, but the effect is limited - China has not only retained its position as the world's largest commodity trading country, but also dominates emerging areas such as new energy vehicles, photovoltaics, lithium batteries.
In contrast, the hollowing out problem of U.S. manufacturing industry is becoming more and more serious. If the trade war continues, its domestic inflationary pressure will further intensify, the burden on consumers and enterprises will increase, and Trump's so-called "economic recovery" will become empty talk.
In addition, the "substitution effect" of the agricultural market is emerging. The United States is the world's largest exporter of agricultural products, and China was once the main buyer of its soybeans, corn and other crops.
But in recent years, China has gradually reduced its dependence on U.S. agricultural products by increasing its purchases from Latin American countries such as Brazil and Argentina.
Especially this year, China has simply abandoned the import of soybeans from the United States, and if the trade war continues, U.S. farmers will face a more severe stagnation crisis, and price crashes and inventory pressure will directly impact the U.S. agricultural economy.
As the so-called "looking at a leopard in a tube, you can see it." For a long time, the United States has tried to curb China's high-tech development through chip bans and technology decoupling, but China is accelerating the independent research and development of key technologies.
From semiconductor materials to industrial software, from new energy equipment to aerospace, Chinese companies and scientific research institutions continue to increase their investment, and some fields have achieved "de-beautification" replacement.
It is foreseeable that in addition to "rare earth" and "soybeans", Our bottom line will be richer and richer, and the United States will also “cry pain” in more and more fields.。
The Trump administration is "in internal and external difficulties", and it is inevitable for the US to retreat first
Through this rare earth ban, China's attitude can be said to be very clear: The United States wants to fight a tariff war, and China has the ability to accompany the end.。
First of all, the United States should realize that as a major trading partner of more than 130 countries and regions around the world, China's market demand directly affects the stability of the global supply chain.
If the U.S. continues to push for disconnection with China, it will not only undermine the global trade order, but will also trigger allied conflict – Europe, ASEAN and other economies want to maintain balance between China and the U.S. rather than choose a side.
Second, rare-earth controls directly impact the interests of the U.S. military-industrial complex, which, despite its huge influence in U.S. politics, will only make its internal contradictions more irreconcilable, further weakening the government’s decision-making space.
In addition, since Trump took office, domestic inflation in the United States has been high, oil prices have soared, and people's dissatisfaction with the government has been at a high level.
The recent government shutdown has exposed the seriousness of political polarization in the United States-the two parties have refused to give in to each other on issues such as medical insurance subsidies and immigration policies, resulting in the paralysis of public services and further consuming public trust.
In contrast, China's position has always been clear: core interests will never give in, but the door to open cooperation is always open.
China does not pursue a trade war, but is not afraid of confrontation. Through improving the industrial chain, strengthening technological autonomy, and deepening cooperation with other countries, China has the ability to counter external impacts.。
If the United States continues to increase sanctions, it will only accelerate the loss of its own advantages and eventually have to return to the negotiating table to seek compromise.