The EU's "Rare Earth Anxiety" According to Zhao Junjie

"The anxiety and helplessness the EU has displayed over the rare earth issue reveal the contradictions and dilemmas at the heart of its policy towards China."

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…