[Text/Observer Network Liu Chenghui] In response to the tariff chaos of the Trump administration, China has taken immediate and precise countermeasures. In addition to imposing additional tariffs, the export control on seven categories of heavy rare earth-related items has drawn particular attention from foreign media.

"China has poured cold water on Trump's F-47 fighter jet dream." On April 7, Newsweek expressed concerns, stating that shortly after Trump announced the development of America's sixth-generation fighter, China imposed new restrictions on the export of rare earth elements to the United States, covering resources critical to avionics. This move has caused anxiety among a number of American aerospace manufacturers and may impact the US sixth-generation fighter program.

According to relevant laws and regulations such as the "Law of the People's Republic of China on Export Control," on April 4, the Ministry of Commerce, together with the General Administration of Customs, issued an announcement implementing export control measures on seven types of medium and heavy rare earth-related items including samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium, which came into effect upon publication.

China emphasized that the implementation of export controls on these related items by the Chinese government is aimed at better safeguarding national security and interests and fulfilling international obligations such as non-proliferation. These items have both military and civilian applications, and their export control is a common practice internationally.

Bloomberg reported on April 4 that these rare earth elements are widely used in advanced technologies such as optical lasers, radar equipment, high-performance magnets for wind turbines, jet engine coatings, and communications. They have also become a focal point of Trump's attention.

Newsweek noted that just two weeks before China took countermeasures, Trump had announced that Boeing had been awarded a contract to develop the F-47 fighter jet, intended to replace the F-22 Raptor fighter and become the core of the next-generation fleet of the US Air Force.

On March 21, Washington D.C., US President Trump announced the production of the US sixth-generation fighter F-47 by Boeing. Visual China.

The Pentagon boasted that the stealth and penetration capabilities of the F-47 will far exceed those of its current fleet, playing a crucial role in potential conflicts with China. US Air Force Chief David Allvin proclaimed, "We will write a new era of modern air combat with it."

However, the British consulting firm SFA (Oxford) warned that advanced aircraft like the F-47 heavily rely on rare earth elements such as neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium to manufacture high-performance magnets, actuators, and radar systems. The F-47 also requires metals such as titanium, tungsten, and niobium to enhance structural strength and heat resistance, and its stealth coating depends on these elements.

SFA said that for the defense industry, as the United States accelerates the development of next-generation fighters, ensuring access to these key rare earth materials is now as important as building the aircraft platform itself.

According to data from the Congressional Research Service (CRS), about 5% of the United States' rare earth usage is allocated to the defense sector. For example, in Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth fighter, each aircraft consumes approximately 920 pounds (about 417 kilograms) of rare earth materials in its electronic warfare systems, target radars, and rudder motors.

The report frankly stated that since China is the main supplier of rare earths to the United States, this round of confrontation between China and the United States highlights China's influence on the US defense industry, posing risks to the US development plan for future fighter jets under the "Next Generation Air Dominance" (NGAD) project.

Two industry sources previously told Reuters that China's export restrictions on certain rare earths have raised concerns among some US aerospace manufacturers, as they can only purchase these rare earths for avionics from China. Although the US government reserves some rare earths, they cannot provide long-term supply to domestic military companies.

The Wall Street Journal also noted that China virtually dominates the rare earth industry, being the leading global miner, refiner, and producer of rare earth magnets. Rare earth magnets are crucial for a range of military and civilian technologies, not only essential for advanced defense equipment such as missile defense systems, attack submarines, and F-35 fighters but also vital for the electric vehicle industry.

The Ta Kung Pao reported on April 5 that China's precise countermeasure of controlling rare earth exports "directly targets the heart of the US military industry."

Renmin University of China researcher Liu Ying told the Ta Kung Pao that this round of countermeasures targeting rare earths can limit its impact to specific areas, including military products and some high-tech fields, achieving a precise strike against the US vulnerabilities.

"For example, with rare earths, China sanctions the US precisely to strike at its vulnerabilities," military expert Song Zhongping told the Ta Kung Pao. Implementing export controls on medium and heavy rare earths makes the US realize that if it imposes so-called trade sanctions and additional tariffs on China, China also has sufficient means to retaliate.

Moreover, Song Zhongping pointed out that the Trump administration's imposition of tariffs on China lacks rationality. In the current US-China trade, the US has a significant trade deficit with China, and this situation is entirely due to the US, not China. The US does not want to sell more technologically advanced products to China and blames China for the trade deficit, which is completely unreasonable.

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Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7490763890578424361/

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