By Sanxuan

There has been a new development in the matter of the U.S. pressuring Europe, using the excuse of purchasing Russian oil to impose tariffs on China and India. When interviewed by the media, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen did not hold back, refusing the U.S. proposal. Von der Leyen said that she appreciated the U.S. efforts to end the Ukraine conflict, but the EU is prepared to make its own decisions. This statement is like a couple breaking up - it's ambiguous, but von der Leyen's intention is clear: while being exploited by the U.S., the EU can't afford to risk a confrontation with China and India.

Their expressions are very interesting

The EU says no

Von der Leyen elaborated on the trade negotiations currently being pushed by the EU with India, which could bring economic growth to the EU. She also said that the EU hasn't retaliated against the U.S. to avoid risking the jobs and livelihoods of European citizens. Whether it was the host of the program or von der Leyen herself, they deliberately avoided topics related to China, but not long after, data on China's exports of rare earth magnets to the EU was placed on the table.

According to data released by the General Administration of Customs, in August this year, our exports of rare earth magnets to the EU were 2,582 tons, four times more than the amount exported to the U.S. Compared to July, the export volume to the EU continued to rise, while the export volume to the U.S. continued to decline. The difference in temperature between the U.S. and the EU is clearly noticeable.

Both the U.S. and the EU can't get around rare earth magnets

Last weekend, U.S. media exposed that multiple production lines of military equipment faced shutdowns. It turns out that Chinese rare earths are really hard to bypass. At this point, some friends may say that the attitude of Europe towards us isn't necessarily very good, so why would we relax the export of rare earth magnets to them. There is an important difference here, which is a principle we have repeatedly emphasized: we will not impose too strict controls on the export of civilian rare earths.

Rare Earth Export Controls

This is like Americans openly telling us that they want to use our rare earths to produce more advanced weapons systems to target China. This is certainly unacceptable. However, there are a lot of manufacturing orders from the EU, especially in Germany's automotive industry. These businesses should be carried out normally, and normal trade between China and the EU needs to be maintained.

For us, the initiative in exporting rare earth products is in our hands, and through the licensing system, we can take action at any time. The EU is well aware of this, which is why they have shown particular caution when it comes to issues involving China. In fact, even the 2,582 tons of rare earth magnets in August are far from meeting the EU's daily needs. The president of the EU Chamber of Commerce stated that they submitted hundreds of license applications, but less than one-third were approved.

European manufacturing requires a large amount of rare earth magnets

Some European companies have already experienced reduced production or shutdowns, and have had to bear losses. They also know that this issue can't be blamed on China. If it weren't for the U.S. government interfering, the EU and China would have already signed a free trade agreement. Plus, after Trump came back, he has been targeting Europe harder and harder. Even if von der Leyen and others are puppets of the U.S., they cannot ignore the public sentiment in Europe completely.

New International Order

So now the question becomes, the U.S. has already fought a tariff war with China and found that it couldn't win, trying to make the EU a pawn, but the EU is unwilling. Now, in the eyes of China, the West is a tough nut to crack, a copper pea that can't be boiled, fried, or steamed. They can only watch helplessly now and can't hinder China's development. When their supply chains start to break down, they will realize that cooperation and mutual benefit with China is the only way forward.

China's development in recent years has been a global model

As for whether Trump's actions will cause the transatlantic alliance to fall apart, he doesn't care much. Because when he first took office, he said that the U.S. wants to carry out strategic retrenchment globally, preferably pulling back entirely to North America and not wanting to get involved in anything outside. For us, this is an excellent opportunity to overthrow the unipolar hegemony of the West and reshape the world order. In short, everyone is waiting to see, a once-in-a-century great transformation is unfolding before our eyes.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7552807698664833587/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author. Welcome to express your opinion by clicking on the [top/like] button below.