关税换稀土？美国战略焦虑藏不住了，中国一举措让美方破防真相揭秘

Core Viewpoint - The statements made by U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent regarding China's rare earth export controls have sparked a debate about the reality of these measures, with China emphasizing its actions as a refinement of its export control system [1][3]. Group 1: China's Rare Earth Export Controls - China's export control measures for rare earth elements were officially announced, with significant restrictions on seven categories of medium and heavy rare earth items effective from April 5, 2025 [3]. - Recent announcements on October 9 included controls on foreign-manufactured magnets and materials containing 0.1% or more of Chinese rare earth elements, along with restrictions on rare earth mining and smelting technologies [3]. - As a result of these measures, China's rare earth exports fell to 4,000.3 tons in September 2025, a decrease of 30.9% month-over-month, marking the lowest level since February of the same year [3]. Group 2: U.S. Dependency on Chinese Rare Earths - The U.S. Geological Survey reported that 70% of U.S. rare earth material imports come from China, with nearly 100% of heavy rare earths essential for military applications sourced from China [5]. - The U.S. military relies on rare earths for 87% of its supply chains across 153 main battle equipment types, highlighting the critical nature of these materials [5][7]. - The complexity and pollution associated with rare earth purification processes have led to a significant reliance on China, which controls 85% of global refining capacity, making U.S. efforts to decouple from this dependency challenging and costly [7]. Group 3: Political Dynamics and Strategic Decisions - China's export controls aim to prevent rare earths from being used for military purposes, contrasting with the U.S. as the largest global arms exporter that frequently utilizes rare earths in military production [9]. - The U.S. has attempted to politicize the rare earth issue, but this strategy has revealed its limitations, as China controls 70% of rare earth production and 92% of refining capacity globally [9]. - Prior to implementing these measures, China communicated its policy objectives to the U.S., EU, and Japan to reduce misunderstandings, while also promising to streamline compliance processes for civilian exports [11].