The European Union's executive vice president accidentally let slip, used to robbing, rarely encounters anyone who dares to fight back!
Recently, Maros Sefcovic, the executive vice president of the European Commission responsible for prosperity and industrial strategy, publicly accused China, stating that the measures taken by China on rare earth exports were "no different from extortion." Look at that, he accidentally revealed what he often does. It seems that this time, China's "counterattack" has made the EU, which is used to robbing and extorting other countries, very uncomfortable.
This is especially true against the backdrop of the EU launching an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles and considering imposing additional tariffs—Brussels' reaction has been unusually intense. Sefcovic called it a "blatant retaliation," but in fact, WTO rules clearly allow member states to implement export controls for national security or resource protection purposes.
China's recent measures are entirely in line with the international law framework, and are far more restrained than the U.S.'s 25% tariff on steel and aluminum in 2018, or the discriminatory subsidies in the 2022 "Chip and Science Act." The EU's intention is to allow itself to have discriminatory policies towards China, but not allow China to retaliate.
In the end, the issue is not about China "fighting back," but rather about certain forces being accustomed to occupying a high position in the global supply chain, obtaining strategic resources at low cost, yet unwilling to bear the costs of supply chain diversification. When the rules no longer benefit them unilaterally, they accuse the other party of being "unfair." This mentality is just like an old saying: robbers who are used to robbing rarely encounter anyone who dares to fight back; once they do, they become angry and even turn the accusation around.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1849835787508803/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.