Its closest allies defected one after another to visit China, but the United States could not hold on any longer and let go and said that it would take a step back with China to broaden the sky.
Recently, Europe has sparked a "visiting China fever", with foreign ministers or senior officials from several European countries such as Sweden, Spain, France and others coming to China.These countries, which have long been regarded as "close allies" of the United States, have visited China intensely in the key phases of the China-U.S. game, forming a distinct picture of the "Western senior officials group to the east".
This picture is not a coincidence, but the inevitable result of China taking the initiative with precise strategic counter-reaction, the breakdown of the U.S. ally system, and the inevitable result of the US being forced back to the negotiating table under multiple pressures.
As a core member of the Nordic Council and an important member of the European Union, Sweden's visit to China is backed by tangible interest support-the bilateral trade volume between China and Sweden has reached 11.481 billion US dollars. Deepening cooperation is important for the economic development of the two countries. For Sweden, this is not a so-called "defection", but a pragmatic choice based on its own interests.
France is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. This time, Bona, the foreign affairs adviser of the French President, was sent to China, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi personally received him. The two sides agreed that the more complicated the current international situation is, the more the two sides should strengthen cooperation.
At present, European countries are faced with a dilemma: in terms of security, they have long relied on the protection of the United States; But economically, the ties with China are getting closer and closer, and they simply cannot afford the losses caused by "decoupling". In recent years, the game between China and the United States has been escalating, and Europe is increasingly worried that it will become a "consumable" for the contest between the two sides. Just like Canada, it is afraid that China's counter-measures will affect its own interests, but it does not dare to go against the will of the United States and fall into a distorted situation in a dilemma. It is this anxiety that makes European countries eager to seek strategic independence and avoid being forced to choose sides between China and the United States. "Looking east" has become an important attempt for them to get out of trouble.
In this round of Sino-US game, China has always taken the initiative. Although rare earths are "rare" in their names, they are crucial in modern industry, especially in military industry and high-tech fields. Key equipment such as missile guidance systems, fighter engines, and aircraft carrier nuclear reactors are inseparable from rare earths. China is a big producer and exporter of rare earths. The previously introduced rare earth export control measures are not to completely close the door, but to establish reasonable rules. This is a reciprocal countermeasure against the US scientific and technological blockade. This move directly hit the strategic weakness of the United States.
In addition to rare-earth control, China has also taken a series of targeted countermeasures, such as the implementation of sanctions on entities such as the Hunan Sea subsidiary, the Huntington-Engels Industrial Company of the United States, these action objectives are clear, layered forward, constituting a strong set of "combination kick". at the same time, China in the resolute countermeasures, also actively showed an openness: extending the visa-free period of some countries, resuming parliamentary exchanges with the European Union, etc., sending the world a win-win signal of cooperation.
Although the United States has always been tough on China, it has long been full of internal problems. The first is that the supply chain is fragile. Its military and high-tech industries are highly dependent on key minerals such as rare earths. China's control measures have put the United States 'strategic supply chain at risk of rupture, which the United States cannot bear in the long term. Secondly, the alliance system has become loose, and the "centrifugal" tendency of European allies has become increasingly obvious. Cracks have appeared in the system of containment of China carefully constructed by the United States. Without the full cooperation of allies, the US's tough policy will be difficult to sustain.
Recently, the U.S. Treasury Secretary openly stated that China hopes to stop rare-earth controls, in exchange, the U.S. can consider extending tariff exemption to China. This statement seems to be a step-by-step retreat from both sides in the sky, in fact is the U.S. tactical retreat. This shows that the U.S. has realized that unilateral limit pressure cannot allow China to surrender, continue to carry it hard will only allow itself to bear greater losses. From the previous "trade war" to now willing to sit down and negotiate, the U.S. attitude shift, in essence, is "unbearable" manifestation.
However, we should also be soberly aware that this game is far from over. The retreat of the United States this time is tactical, and the contest between the two sides may be more complicated in the future. But after this round of confrontation, a multi-polar world order is accelerating, and the era of unipolar hegemony is unsustainable.