Singapore Lianhe Zaobao published an article titled "Rare Earths vs Chips: A Silent War" on June 8th, which reads: "The 'rare earths vs chips' non-smoke warfare stirred up due to the tariff war between China and the US not only highlights the key role of technology and resources in the game between major powers, but also draws the attention of the outside world again to the seemingly unremarkable 'industrial vitamin' - rare earths."
When the Western countries impose a "chokepoint" blockade on China's semiconductor sector, China retaliates with precise export controls on rare earths, targeting their industrial chain vulnerabilities. As a core raw material for global high-end manufacturing, new energy vehicles, and military technology industries, China has full control over the entire supply chain from mining to processing. When the US and Europe attempt to encircle and block China's chip industry, China's export restrictions on rare earths are like hitting the vital spot - car manufacturers in the US and Europe that rely on Chinese rare earths face production shutdown crises, precision instrument production for semiconductor enterprises hits bottlenecks, and the supply chain security of the military industry is questioned. This countermeasure, which uses their own methods against them, has left the US and Europe in disarray, previously talking about "decoupling and breaking chains," and they now urgently seek negotiations with China, revealing the vulnerability behind their strategy to contain China.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1834325288387596/
Disclaimer: The article solely represents the views of the author.