{"id":2506,"date":"2025-04-10T07:08:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T07:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cmtv.ca\/?p=2506"},"modified":"2025-05-13T03:52:24","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T03:52:24","slug":"chinas-quiet-power-move-the-minerals-that-could-cripple-modern-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cmtv.ca\/index.php\/2025\/04\/10\/chinas-quiet-power-move-the-minerals-that-could-cripple-modern-tech\/","title":{"rendered":"China\u2019s Quiet Power Move: The Minerals That Could Cripple Modern Tech"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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China\u2019s Retaliation: A 34% Tariff<\/strong><\/h3>

Anonymous Commentator:<\/strong>
We’ve been talking about tariffs for a while now. China has responded to the U.S. with a major move\u2014a 34% retaliatory tariff. Honestly, can you blame them? What did we expect? That\u2019s their response, but there’s more beneath the surface. Eric sent me a story that hasn’t gotten much attention. We’ll start with the 34% retaliation and unpack it from there.<\/p>

Is China Coming to the Table?<\/strong><\/h3>

CMTV News Source:<\/strong>
Is China coming to the negotiating table? Depends which table you mean. If you\u2019re talking about the ring, yes\u2014China\u2019s stepping in, gloves off. Up until now, President Xi Jinping had urged calm, but it seems they\u2019ve had enough. The 34% tariff on U.S. goods takes effect April 10. That\u2019s not all\u2014China\u2019s added U.S. defense firms to its entity blacklist, banned imports of chicken and sorghum from certain American companies, and imposed tighter restrictions on rare earth exports, which are essential to the tech industry.\"\"<\/p>

Apple, for instance, already shifted some production out of China after the first trade war under the \u201cChina Plus One\u201d strategy, moving manufacturing to India, Vietnam, Thailand, and Taiwan. But with Trump\u2019s renewed tariffs, all these regions are getting hit too. China is trying to rebalance its economy by increasing domestic consumption and managing industrial overcapacity. Market watchers are closely observing the yuan, which has weakened to its lowest level since February. If China chooses to weaponize its currency further, it could escalate the conflict dramatically.<\/p>

Trump\u2019s Response: A 50% Tariff Hike<\/strong><\/h3>

Anonymous Commentator:<\/strong>
China hit us with a 34% tariff, and now Trump\u2019s firing back with a 50% increase on Chinese imports. That\u2019s a full-on trade war. I’m not joking. This will absolutely affect us. We import a lot<\/em> from China. Prices will rise, no doubt.<\/p>

Trade War Escalates to 104% Tariffs<\/strong><\/h3>

CMTV News Source:<\/strong>
President Trump is threatening to raise tariffs to 104% on Chinese imports if China doesn’t remove its 34% tariff. Janice Mackey Frayer, reporting from Beijing, says China\u2019s response is defiant. They’re ready to match the U.S. move-for-move. A 104% tariff would affect everything<\/em>\u2014clothing, electronics, household goods.<\/p>

Timu, Tech, and Rising Prices<\/strong><\/h3>

Anonymous Commentator:<\/strong>
104% tariffs? That’s wild. Someone in the chat already said it\u2014Timu won\u2019t be cheap anymore. Electronics are another big concern\u2014laptops, iPhones, iPads. Most of that is made overseas. If you work in tech or any field where electronics are critical, this is dangerous. Trump thinks he’s playing a video game\u2014Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter\u2014but this is real life. We can’t afford these hits. If you break your iPhone screen, good luck replacing it. I\u2019ve never cracked my Android, but I know plenty of iPhone users who have.<\/p>

Billionaires are feeling it too. Bill Ackman, for example, has spoken out. Even they\u2019re starting to feel the squeeze.<\/p>

\"\"China\u2019s Perspective: U.S. \u201cBlackmail\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>

CMTV News Source:<\/strong>
This trade war isn\u2019t just U.S. vs. China\u2014other Asian nations like Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, and South Korea are caught in the crossfire. China views U.S. tactics as \u201cblackmail\u201d and sees negotiation as legitimizing Trump\u2019s strategy. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed there are currently no<\/em> trade talks underway with the U.S., citing a lack of genuine intent from Washington.<\/p>

To stabilize their markets ahead of these tariff deadlines, China rolled out measures like state-owned company buybacks\u2014known locally as the \u201cnational team\u201d\u2014which temporarily boosted stock performance. But with more tariffs hitting in 48 hours, supply chains are under major threat, and U.S. consumer prices are bound to rise.<\/p>

Manufacturing & the Materials Problem<\/strong><\/h3>

Anonymous Commentator:<\/strong>
Let\u2019s talk about manufacturing. People love to say, \u201cbring manufacturing back to the U.S.,\u201d but it never should\u2019ve left. Deals like NAFTA put us in this position. Even American-made products often rely on raw materials from countries like China and Mexico.<\/p>

Building factories here isn\u2019t enough. We need the machines<\/em> that make the products\u2014and those machines are made overseas too. That\u2019s the real issue. We don\u2019t just need factories. We need to manufacture the machines used<\/em> in factories\u2014and we\u2019re not doing that.<\/p>

So yeah, if you\u2019re in manufacturing, this will hit you too. Machines, tools\u2014everything will cost more. Everyone is going to feel the impact. We really don\u2019t make things in the U.S. anymore, not even the things that make things.<\/p>

What Does \u201cFight to the End\u201d Mean?<\/strong><\/h3>

CMTV News Source:<\/strong>
Joining us now is former State Department and CIA official Ned Price. Ned, what does \u201cfight to the end\u201d look like from China? His answer: nothing good for American businesses or consumers.<\/p>

Trump\u2019s aggressive tariffs may have emboldened China. Rather than using tariffs as leverage for negotiation, he\u2019s treating them as the goal itself. And Xi Jinping\u2014though not democratically elected\u2014is still concerned about legitimacy and legacy. Trump\u2019s left him with no face-saving off-ramp. Now China is fully prepared to retaliate.<\/p>

The Bigger Picture: Dominance vs. Multipolarity<\/strong><\/h3>

Anonymous Commentator:<\/strong>
Let\u2019s keep it real. We don’t have China’s technology. This is not the country to pick a fight with. Why not collaborate instead of always pushing conflict?<\/p>

The U.S. government wants to dominate globally, but those days are fading. Countries are joining BRICS, moving toward a multipolar world. And there\u2019s nothing wrong with that. Even the Black Panthers supported a horizontal model. Why can’t we work with<\/em> others to build a better future?<\/p>

\"\"<\/p>

China Quietly Moves: Critical Minerals Cut<\/strong><\/h3>

Anonymous Commentator:<\/strong>
Now here\u2019s something that really flew under the radar\u2014and you can read about it on CleanTechnica<\/a>.<\/p>

In April 2025, while the world focused on tariffs, China quietly cut off supplies of critical minerals\u2014dysprosium, terbium, tungsten, indium, and yttrium. These minerals are essential. Without them, EVs don\u2019t run, fighter jets don\u2019t fly, and solar panels are just expensive tiles. These elements are on risk registers for a reason\u2014they matter in both war and clean energy innovation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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