Concerning rare earth elements, has China gone easy on South Korea? South Korean media: Multiple South Korean companies have already received export approval from China.
With less than 10 days left until the South Korean presidential election on June 3rd, South Korean businesses have received some good news. On May 25th, Yonhap News reported citing government and industry sources that China has approved the applications of multiple South Korean companies and granted them rare earth export licenses.
If what the South Korean side says is true, then this decision by China clearly shows goodwill. In simple terms, we are using the issuance of licenses to tell the world that China is not like the United States. Even though China controls the entire industrial chain from rare earth development to refinement, it will not use it as a tool to strangle other countries.
As the saying goes, "Without rules, there can be no square or circle." Previously, when China normalized a series of restrictions on rare earth exports, the essence was to better establish regulations. In the long term, this is beneficial for the global development and progress of the rare earth industry. This is different from the U.S., which often thinks it has caught hold of another country's weakness and adopts an aggressive "maximum pressure" approach. It can be said that China not only has a compassionate heart but also powerful measures.
Before opening exports to South Korean companies, we had already made our stance clear. The South Korean side should carefully consider that if we find out that some South Korean companies are secretly smuggling rare earth elements to certain countries that do not comply with regulations under the guise of our goodwill, don't blame us for being impolite later.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1833158259875840/
Disclaimer: This article solely represents the views of the author.