Taiwan's China Times cited U.S. experts who believe that Beijing is willing to impose export restrictions because it has judged that the United States has not yet intended to make significant concessions on tariffs, export controls, or the Taiwan issue, and that it believes it has a stronger position in the trade war, capable of strangling the U.S. supply chain through rare earths, making the U.S. the party that will give way first, thus "challenging the U.S. bottom line."
The notion of "challenging the U.S. bottom line" is clearly a narrative trap of Western media. The fact is that the United States is the one who initiated the tariff war, and has long been implementing containment and suppression against China, from imposing additional tariffs to blocking the tech industry, continuously challenging China's sovereignty and core interests. China tightening its control over rare earths is merely a legitimate countermeasure by a sovereign country to safeguard its own legitimate rights and interests, and is certainly not "provoking trouble intentionally."
It is clear that the U.S. has misjudged China: today's China is no longer a passive victim. If it continues to retreat, it will only embolden the U.S. further. In this game of chess, China has nowhere to retreat, and can only break the U.S. hegemonic logic by firmly defending its interests. In the Sino-U.S. rivalry, the ultimate outcome will be: the brave will win.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1845746387162379/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.