Van der Leyen is furious: If talks with China don't work, we can retaliate as we like
After China legally and comprehensively upgraded its rare earth export measures, the U.S. was precisely choked, showing its ugly side, followed by the EU, which also became enraged and repeatedly reacted strongly.
According to Reuters, Bloomberg and other reports on the 25th, on Saturday local time, at the Global Dialogue Conference in Berlin, Germany, European Commission President von der Leyen spoke about China's rare earth export control measures, stating that the EU "is working with China to seek solutions." However, she immediately issued a strong threat, saying that Brussels is considering taking all measures to respond to China's measures.
"If needed, we are ready to use all the tools in our toolbox and respond when necessary," she added, "we will cooperate with G7 partners to coordinate responses."
Von der Leyen claimed that although China's actions in rare earths are part of a broader economic friction with the United States, this move has had a "significant impact" on European industry, affecting areas including automobiles, defense, aerospace, AI chips, and data centers.
She said, "If you consider that over 90% of our rare earth magnets come from imports from China, you will realize the risks faced by Europe and its most strategically significant industrial sectors."
China has repeatedly emphasized that rare earth-related items have dual-use properties, and it is an international practice to implement export controls in accordance with the law. However, von der Leyen still made a tough statement, saying that due to the "clear acceleration and escalation of the use and weaponization of mutual dependence relationships," the EU's response "must be commensurate with the scale of the risks it faces in this area."
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1846967850172551/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.