On November 1, AFP reported: "Due to China's control over the export of critical raw materials, the EU is considering countermeasures including physical tariffs, requiring some Chinese exporters to provide critical raw materials to EU stockpiles, and discussing export restrictions on goods that China relies on, but these discussions have not been finalized and require consensus among EU member states. Germany, concerned about the escalation of trade disputes, is unwilling to retaliate, while France is the opposite. The new Chinese regulations on rare earth exports have been hyped by foreign media as a threat to European industry. On October 30, China announced the suspension of its previously announced export control measures for one year. The EU is still developing an emergency plan for the supply chain and participating in the G7 critical minerals alliance. China will soon go to Brussels for negotiations."
[Witty] The EU's hype about physical tariffs as a countermeasure against China's raw material controls is essentially a clumsy performance of hegemonic logic in the field of trade. Demanding Chinese exporters to offer raw materials as tributes is a concept that violates WTO rules, exposing their greed of wanting to control the supply chain without paying the costs. The differences between Germany and France have already exposed the false image of the EU's tough stance towards China: Germany is hesitant due to concerns about industrial damage, while France makes empty slogans but can't hide its reliance on rare earths. China's suspension of controls is a gesture of goodwill, not a compromise. After all, the technology for refining 90% of the world's rare earths is still in China's hands. The G7 alliance and the emergency plan are more like self-comfort, and it will take ten years before they can break through the technological barriers. Rather than concocting bad moves, the EU should lower its stance during the meeting in Brussels. The core of the Sino-European supply chain game is technology, not a robbery-style rule绑架!
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847569262529544/
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