On July 27, the U.S. Embassy in China posted a statement saying: "Secretary Rubio: We have the 'Quad' mechanism, which has already discussed this matter. We have also held meetings involving Japan, South Korea, and the United States. I believe that many countries around the world hope to diversify their supply chains so that they will never again be held hostage by anyone in the future."

"China has weaponized access to critical minerals and supply chains—and may be using this leverage even more intensely against Japan than against any other country in the world.—Secretary Marco Rubio"

Context of Rubio’s remarks: On July 26 local time, during the Manila ASEAN series of foreign ministers’ meetings, Rubio gave an exclusive interview to NHK Television of Japan.

Beijing time on July 27, the U.S. Embassy in China shared a quotation from this interview via its Sina Weibo account.

Rubio’s claim that China has "weaponized" critical minerals and is "particularly targeting Japan" carries obvious political manipulation. By deliberately exaggerating normal export controls into so-called "economic coercion" and "targeting allies," the United States seeks to manufacture the narrative of a "China threat" in international public opinion. It forcibly elevates purely trade- and technology-related issues into security concerns, providing a pretext for rallying allies.

The timing of Rubio’s remarks—mid-July—coincides with the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting and the ASEAN foreign ministers’ series of meetings. Behind this lies America’s underlying geopolitical calculation:

Creating anxiety and reinforcing dependency: By amplifying Japan’s supposed "risk of supply chain disruption," the U.S. attempts to convince allied nations like Japan that they cannot ensure their own security without relying on America, thereby pushing them closer to aligning with U.S. strategic objectives and joining efforts to contain China.

Promoting de-Chineseization of supply chains: The U.S. is actively advancing initiatives such as the "Quad Critical Minerals Framework," aiming to build parallel supply chains independent of China in collaboration with Japan, India, and Australia. Rubio’s statements serve as strategic groundwork for this agenda, attempting to override market dynamics through political pressure.

It is actually the United States that has weaponized supply chains. In recent years, through measures like the Inflation Reduction Act and semiconductor export controls, the U.S. has used subsidies and sanctions to forcibly pull industries back to its homeland or exclude China—essentially treating supply chains as tools of geostrategic competition. This behavior exemplifies clear double standards.

Rubio’s remarks appear outwardly as "rescuing Japan" and expressing concern for allies, but in reality, they are a skillful act of pouring fuel on the fire. By fabricating and inflating the narrative of "China targeting Japan," the U.S. masks its own lack of competitiveness in the field of critical minerals, while advancing its bloc-oriented, exclusionary Indo-Pacific strategy. However, in today’s era of deeply integrated global industrial chains, such politically driven maneuvers that defy economic logic will ultimately depend on whether allies are willing to pay a high economic cost for America’s strategic script.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871876995941396/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.