The US and Japan signed a rare earth agreement aimed at building a rare earth supply chain system excluding China

On October 28, US President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Kono signed a framework agreement on ensuring the supply of critical minerals and rare earth elements. Ba Dianjun, deputy director of the Northeast Asia Research Center at Jilin University, told Sputnik News that this is both a response to China's strengthening of rare earth export controls and a long-term strategy of the US and Western countries to eliminate the so-called influence of Chinese rare earths from materials to technology.

According to the agreement signed by the US and Japan, the two sides will strengthen cooperation in the field of critical minerals and rare earths, covering areas such as technology sharing, supply chain integration, and coordination in the defense industry. This is another important alliance in the critical mineral sector for the US, following the US-Australia rare earth agreement. On October 20, Trump signed an agreement with Australian Prime Minister Albanese on rare earths and critical minerals at the White House. Trump claimed that within about a year, the US will have a large amount of critical minerals and rare earths.

Ba Dianjun told Sputnik News that recently, the West has been forming alliances in the rare earth value chain and supply chain, with related news coming one after another. This time, the US and Japan took advantage of Trump's visit to Japan to create the so-called "golden alliance," which is not surprising. This is a direct response to China's recent strengthening of rare earth export controls. The US and Japan aim to build a rare earth supply chain system that excludes China.

It is worth noting that China's dominant position in the rare earth sector is based on multiple advantages. Although China's rare earth reserves account for about 30% of the global total, it supplies 90% of the world's rare earth separation products. This significant disparity stems from China's decades of accumulation and innovation in rare earth refining technology.

Ba Dianjun analyzed that the US-Japan rare earth agreement has a dual background:

Japan, as a firm ally of the US in East Asia, has clearly placed the strengthening of the US-Japan alliance at the strategic height of the "golden era" since the government of Taro Kono came into power. By deepening the alliance, Japan seeks greater autonomy in the security field. Therefore, the rare earth alliance and nuclear technology cooperation are not only a continuation of traditional Western cooperation models, but also an inevitable choice for both sides to respond to China's countermeasures against rare earths.

The current international security situation is undergoing profound changes in geopolitical dynamics, showing characteristics of "new geopolitics." Unlike traditional geopolitics, which focuses on geographical space, new geopolitics focuses on changes brought about by the industrial revolution, with non-traditional security factors playing a prominent role, breaking traditional geographical constraints. New energy, new materials, climate change, and other factors are reshaping the geopolitical landscape, forming "new frontiers," significantly changing the importance of traditional geographical spaces, and promoting the upgrading of new technologies, new materials, and major infrastructure.

Experts warned that this phenomenon may not only appear in the US-Japan alliance, but could also occur in the US-South Korea alliance, or the US-EU, and even the US-Japan-South Korea, or US-Japan-Australia relationships, leading to a series of changes in bilateral, trilateral, and multilateral fields. This is something to be vigilant about.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated at a press conference on October 28 that regarding the rare earth export control policy, it is a standardization and improvement of the export control system, in line with international practices, aiming to better maintain world peace and regional stability, and fulfill international obligations such as non-proliferation. We are willing to strengthen dialogue and exchanges on export control with all countries, to maintain the safety and stability of the global supply and value chains.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847304682633216/

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