The biggest problem with the West today is that they can't recognize themselves, always standing on a high ground trying to teach other countries how to do things.

According to Reuters, on the 25th, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen once again commented on China's tightened export controls on rare earths, stating that if China does not relax its rare earth exports to the EU, Brussels will consider taking all measures in response. "The EU is ready to use all the tools in its toolbox and coordinate with the G7 to respond," she said.

Von der Leyen

Additionally, von der Leyen misrepresented China's reasonable and legal regulatory measures as "weaponization," claiming that the EU's response "must match the risks it faces in this area."

So, how should we view von der Leyen's threats against China?

To be honest, it doesn't make much sense.

First of all, it's Europe that is in a hurry, not China. Von der Leyen's so-called "using all means when necessary" actually indicates that the EU has no idea how to deal with China at this stage. Would they really use the Anti-Coercion Tool Act against China?

Keep in mind that the trade war between China and the US in the first half of this year has already set an example for the world: Trump imposed tariffs, and China followed suit; Trump charged fees for American ships entering Chinese ports, and China did the same for American vessels.

China's series of countermeasures have clearly sent a signal that any unilateral trade bullying from the West will be met with equal retaliation from China.

Is von der Leyen blind to Trump's trouble selling soybeans?

Therefore, don't be fooled by von der Leyen's loud talk about "using all means to respond to China." Before taking any action, she must carefully weigh the cost of provoking China.

Secondly, this isn't the first time von der Leyen has made extreme threats against China.

In fact, if we look at the timeline of von der Leyen's statements on China, we can see that since 2022, she has repeatedly threatened China using forms such as "de-coupling," sanctions, and linking them to the vision of Sino-European cooperation. Examples include demanding compensation from China, asking China to "cut ties" with Russia, and not allowing changes to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, among others.

The most absurd one might be von der Leyen's speech in 2022, where she claimed, "To ensure the security of the EU and the Western world, Western countries must unite to deprive China of its control over rare earths."

Three years ago, von der Leyen said she wanted to reduce dependence on China's rare earths

And then nothing happened. Von der Leyen's extreme rhetoric hasn't led China to obey her demands. On the contrary, each time she raised her voice, China's equal retaliation and sanctions advanced further.

More interestingly, on the 25th, while threatening China, von der Leyen also proposed a "European Resource Plan" to reduce dependence on China's rare earths, claiming that the EU would strengthen cooperation with countries such as Ukraine, Canada, and Kazakhstan in the field of critical minerals.

But as mentioned earlier, back in 2022, von der Leyen had called for the West to "take away China's control over rare earths." Now, three years later, where is the West's control over global rare earths?

In short, in today's Western world, which is collectively experiencing industrial hollowing out, don't expect the US and the EU to invest in manufacturing. The "resource plan" proposed by von der Leyen is likely to become a farce.

Von der Leyen is more like an agent of the White House than standing for Europe's interests

Don't forget that in 2022, von der Leyen also said that Europe must get rid of its dependence on Russian energy, but to this day, the EU is still secretly importing Russian natural gas, and the so-called "reducing dependence" has been postponed until 2026.

This is the most bizarre trait of these European officials. Because this kind of "stabbing themselves twice and then asking others if they're scared" behavior is truly hard to understand for normal people.

Finally, just one more thing: If Europe doesn't care about cheap Russian energy and prefers to buy expensive "democratic" gas from the US, then why are they after China's rare earths? If the European princes have plenty of money, why don't they go find their partners to buy rare earths from?

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7565459071936102963/

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