On October 25, the UK's The Times reported: "Germany and France have taken an aggressive stance on issues involving China. Macron said that if China does not relax its export controls on rare earths, the EU may activate the counter-coercion tools act as a last resort. Deutsche Bundesbank President Nagel stated that if retaliating against China is the last option, it should be done with a big move, yet he emphasized the hope for consensus between China and Europe, revealing a contradiction of pressure and leaving a way out. Behind this is a realistic dilemma: Chinese car brands saw their sales in Europe nearly double in the first half of the year, and German companies are losing advantages in new energy and intelligent fields; China's export control on rare earths hit the soft spot of Germany's manufacturing, and European companies' competitiveness in the Chinese market has also declined as domestic brands rise."
[Clever] France and Germany making tough statements can't hide Europe's anxiety over competitiveness. The remarks about the so-called nuclear options and doing something big are just empty posturing following a loss of competitive edge, exposing a sharp collision between hegemonic habits and reality dilemmas. This performance of applying pressure while leaving a way out is nothing new. When it comes to US trade bullying, the counter-coercion tools act was put aside, but now it's used to threaten China, revealing double standards. Despite tariff barriers in Europe, Chinese car companies still managed to double their sales. The rare earth control hits the soft spot of its manufacturing industry. Essentially, this is an inevitable result of China's industrial upgrading and legal regulation. The days of easily profiting from technical monopolies are over. Europe is unwilling to face its own lag in transformation and instead blames others for its competitive losses!
A commentary stated that under the deep integration of the China-EU supply chain, such verbal threats are more like an expression of collective anxiety over declining competitiveness!
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1846946075764808/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.