On local time April 22nd, a landmark event occurred in the Sino-US tariff war as Trump clearly stated that he would significantly reduce tariffs on China. Although he mentioned "it won't be reduced to zero," all parties currently speculate that the reduction should be substantial. And this, of course, means that China has firmly gained the upper hand in this tariff war.

Trump made this decision for many reasons: one of the most important is that his allies were not supportive enough. Some allies even watched passively as the U.S. was caught in a bind over rare earth issues by China, yet they were unwilling to help Trump. Among these allies are countries like South Korea.

In the past two days, The Korea Economic Daily explained why South Korean rare earth enterprises refused to help Trump. The media reported that the Chinese government had warned South Korean companies that if they violated China's relevant restrictions on rare earth exports, the consequences would be severe, and these companies would face direct sanctions from China.

As early as April 2025, China implemented export controls on various rare earth minerals. By April 22nd, China added another requirement, prohibiting South Korean companies from exporting products containing Chinese rare earths to American related companies. In fact, as early as 2024, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce had restrictions on "third-party" circumventing sales to the U.S. We did this to prevent America's allies from buying from China first and then giving it to the American "master."

Now, South Korean companies are hesitant to act, and the U.S., which is most affected by rare earth materials, is suffering in its military production. US media reports: even the sixth-generation fighter F-47 project is uncertain whether it can continue. Trump's plan a few days ago to utilize deep-sea metals has proven too difficult, and there has been no follow-up since then.

Information shows that on April 24th, South Korea and the U.S. will hold discussions on tariff issues in Washington. Previously, the acting president of South Korea had clearly stated that the U.S. had provided significant assistance to South Korea in the 20th century, so as a return, South Korea would not oppose the U.S. on tariff issues. Although the South Korean high-level officials appear obedient on the surface, you cannot expect them to risk being sanctioned by China for the sake of the U.S.

In fact, South Korea's attitude toward the U.S. is relatively good among America's allies. In the past half month, more allies not only refuse to help the U.S., but also take the opportunity to step on it. Let us give you a couple of examples:

1. Australia. As an important ally of the U.S. in the Pacific, Prime Minister Albanese criticized Trump's tariff policy earlier this month, stating that it was not the way to treat friends, and Australia would not compromise with the U.S.

2. Japan. Compared to South Korea and Australia, the Japanese government is much tougher on the U.S. Ono Masahiro not only dragged his feet in the U.S.-Japan negotiations but also sent the leader of the Komeito Party to China to discuss cooperation.可以说, 石破茂这一阴一阳的做法, 给特朗普好好上了一课。

In summary, there was a discussion online before: once the U.S. is in trouble, who will step up first? The conclusion reached by netizens was very consistent: either Japan or South Korea, it will definitely be one of America's allies. From recent developments, there does seem to be such a trend. For more details, let us keep following.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7496405460667007514/

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