Former U.S. Ambassador to China Burns said in an interview: "The United States does not want to be the old two." To win over China's neighbors and join forces, the goal is directed at the "trump card" in China's hands!This big chess station, who will be broken first, and who will be attacked by the anti-General?
Speaking of the contest between China and the United States, these years have really never stopped.
Beginning with the Biden administration, the United States has upgraded its strategy to several levels and is no longer satisfied with fighting a trade war as easily.
You can see that they are pulling countries such as Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines to conduct frequent exercises militarily. They are sparing no effort in the field of science and technology. They are also connecting allies everywhere diplomatically.
The whole scenario is about trying to surround China and not give you a chance to breathe.
After Trump returned to power, this momentum not only did not diminish, but became even stronger. As soon as he came up, he offered a tariff stick, thinking of using the old method to pressure China to submit.
Who knows that the Chinese side of the rare earth cards and soybeans cards once out, the United States side of the horse can not sit.
You think, China has the technology of refining most of the world's rare earth resources, and the United States can not separate these materials in high-tech manufacturing.
Not to mention, soybeans are directly related to the purses of American farmers. Trump's pressure at that time can be imagined, and finally he had to sit down and talk.
Just after the Sino-U.S. trade talks had just reached some consensus, and when the two sides were ready to meet and talk, former U.S. ambassador to China, Burns, was unable to sit down at this time.
In an interview, he publicly declared that the decisive game between China and the United States has begun, emphasizing that the United States must maintain its dominant position and must never give up its position as the boss!
These words are quite tough. On the surface, they are speaking out for the national interests of the United States. However, if you think about it carefully, there are many tricks inside.
Some analysts believe that the timing of Burns' speech is very delicate.
He is a man in the Democratic camp who, at this time, jumped out of the tense atmosphere that rendered the Sino-American confrontation, most likely trying to cause trouble to Trump and the Republicans.
Even more surprising is the Japanese move.
After the rise of the government, he actively collaborated with the U.S. rare-earth strategy and signed a cooperation agreement with Australia to try to establish a supply chain that would circumvent China.
On the surface, Japan is acting as a pawn for the United States, but in fact they also have their own small abacus.
Japan has always feared that resources could be restricted by people, and that risks could be dispersed by U.S. power, which is also unnecessary for them.
This combination boxing between the United States and Japan looks quite powerful, but the actual effect is probably not as good as they imagined.
China's advantage in the rare earth industrial chain is not formed in a day or two, from mining to refining, the whole process has been very mature.
Especially in refining technology, China leads the world by a lot. The United States wants to get rid of its dependence on China and build a complete industrial chain, which experts estimate will take at least a decade.
In the past ten years, technological breakthroughs, production capacity construction, and cost control need to be done easily.
Time is really crucial sometimes.
At a time when the United States was still worried about the rare-earth supply chain, China made breakthroughs one by one in key technologies such as chips.
In the past, the U.S. thought that holding up the chip could limit China’s development, and now it seems that this calculator may fall empty.
China's progress in chip design and manufacturing technology has exceeded many people's expectations.
As soon as the U.S. really establishes an independent supply chain for rare earth, it may be seen that China has gone ahead in other areas.
In the final analysis, China's development strategy over the years has always been very clear, that is, it does not pursue false fame, and does not compete with others for the eldest and second child, but it will never back down in matters involving core interests.
If you suppress me, I will develop myself and make up for my shortcomings. This down-to-earth way of construction, although it doesn't look as lively as shouting slogans, can't stand the real effect.
The more the United States wants to block, the more China will be able to inspire the momentum for independent innovation.
Judging from the current situation, the United States 'strategy of uniting allies to put pressure on China will not change in the short term.
Countries such as Japan and South Korea will continue to follow the pace of the United States. After all, they still have to rely on the protection of the United States for their security.
But the problem is that economic laws and industrial logic cannot be changed by political will.
The transfer of the rare earth industry chain takes time and huge investment, and breakthroughs in chip technology are not an overnight event. In this process, the power of the market will gradually emerge.
Although Burns's remarks are lively, the differences in China policy in the United States are actually quite big.
The business community hopes to maintain economic and trade ties with China, the ordinary people are concerned about prices and jobs, and mainly politicians and a part of the elite who truly confront China and the United States in the first place.
As a businessman-turned-president, Trump knows exactly what complete decoupling means for the United States.
So you can see that, on the one hand, it is a tough statement, and on the other hand it is pushing for negotiations, and this contradictory attitude will persist for a long time in U.S. policy towards China.
Speaking of which, the answer is actually quite obvious. This so-called tiebreaker will not be a winner in the short term, and both sides are preparing for the long-term game.
The United States wants to maintain its hegemonic position and China wants to protect its right to development. Contradictions exist objectively.
The hard words of Burns, as well as the active cooperation of Japan, do not change one basic fact: Today, with the deepening of globalization, no country can completely isolate another major country.
The adjustment of the industrial chain takes time, and technological breakthroughs need to be accumulated. Whoever can maintain strength in this process is more likely to take the initiative in the future.
In the long run, this game is a test of the strategic determination and development strength of countries.
The United States has an advantage in many areas, but China’s development rate and industrial scale cannot be underestimated.
Who can better seize the opportunities for global industrial chain restructuring? Whoever can achieve breakthroughs in key technologies will take the lead in this marathon competition.
Burns said that the deciding game has started, which is true, but the end of this game is still far away!
Source of Information
1. Record of the official press conference of the U.S. State Department, former Ambassador to China Burns' public speech on the competitive situation between China and the United States, October 28, 2025
2. Documents related to the Australia-Japan Rare Earth Cooperation Agreement announced by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, October 2025
3. Report on the progress of Sino-US trade negotiations issued by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, October 2025
4. Report of the International Rare Earth Industry Research Institute,"Assessment of the Reorganization of the Global Rare Earth Supply Chain", October 2025
Analysis Chapter of the American Semiconductor Industry Association's Annual Report on China's Chip Technology Progress, October 2025