The EU's "Rare Earth Anxiety" According to Zhao Junjie
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Rare earth industry in China
10 min read
Central to understanding the article's core topic - China controls roughly 60% of rare earth mining and 90% of processing, making this dominance a key geopolitical lever discussed in the piece
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China–European Union relations
17 min read
Provides essential historical context for the diplomatic tensions described, including the sanctions on European Parliament members and the failed summit mentioned in the article
Sinification often highlights the more thought-provoking strands of debate in China. Zhao Junjie’s piece, by contrast, sits squarely within official messaging: casting export controls as routine, warning Western countries against “politicising” supply chains, and depicting Europe as stuck meekly in America’s shadow. Yet his views speak to a distinct exasperation and certain disdain for the EU that is widespread in Chinese thinking.
After Trump came to power this year, many in Europe expected China to court the EU more actively. Beijing did proffer what it saw as a meaningful olive branch, lifting sanctions against Members of the European Parliament in April. But for the EU, this was a prerequisite starting point, not a concession, and disillusionment deepened as the year wore on: no meaningful concessions were made and the anniversary summit in July was a widely anticipated flop.
Why, then, was European optimism at the start of the year perhaps misplaced? Put simply, Beijing assessed th…
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