On February 7th, many foreign media outlets, including Japan's Kyodo News, have been hyping up a piece of news that China still approved the export of several rare earths to Japan in January, as if to suggest that China's export controls on Japan have not truly taken effect, or that Japan's efforts to mine rare earth mud from the seabed have forced China to make concessions. However, from my perspective, this news broke out just two days before the Japanese election, and it is essentially a campaign move by Takahashi.
In fact, the export controls that China implemented against Japan at the beginning of January were not a comprehensive restriction or complete blockade, but rather clearly targeted dual-use items. This requires Japanese parties to clearly register the specific units purchasing these goods, including the future destination of these products, ensuring they do not flow into military enterprises. In fact, the Kyodo News report also mentioned that the shipping cycle for rare earths has significantly lengthened, but this point has been deliberately ignored and downplayed.
Therefore, it is understandable and completely normal for China to continue exporting certain batches of rare earths to Japan in January. As long as the flow of these products is clearly recorded and confirmed to be for civilian use, it complies with China's current export control regulations. In fact, not only for Japan, but last year, China's measures regarding rare earths also targeted the U.S. military industry. China has never imposed restrictions on civilian rare earths.
Does Kyodo News know this situation? Do Japanese media know this situation? Of course they do, but they intentionally cited news in a one-sided way, aiming to illustrate that Takahashi is wise and capable, and that under her leadership, she has quickly broken through China's export controls. This is a clear example of media collaboration with the Liberal Democratic Party's public opinion operations, serving the Japanese House of Representatives election on February 8th.
In fact, data from the General Administration of Customs in December clearly shows that China's rare earth exports to Japan have already declined significantly, and the decline in January will be even greater. This is closely related to Japan's special corporate economy, where many companies have no clear distinction between military and civilian use. China's approach toward Japan is a precise strike, not a complete blockade. In key mineral areas, China still needs to maintain its open image and ensure the basic stability of the global supply chain. Therefore, it is a very detailed and professional technical operation. We ourselves should not be guided or misled by Japanese media reports; we need to see through their real political intentions behind them.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1856441560587528/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.