China Turns The Tables: Beijing Copies Washington’s Trade Tactics, Tightens Grip On Global Tech Supply Chain | World News

New Delhi: Beijing has reversed the Washington script. China, which has been accusing the United States of controlling global trade for years, is now doing the same. In a move that stunned international markets, Beijing ordered foreign firms to seek government approval before exporting any products that contain even traces of China’s rare earth materials or use Chinese technology.

The reach of the rule is quite broad. Even a smartphone maker in South Korea will now need permission from Beijing to sell the devices in Australia if the phones contain materials originating from China. This rule gives China control over the technology supply chain and essentially the entire global economy.

Borrowing from Washington’s Playbook

This new rule mirrors America’s own “foreign direct product” regulation; it’s a tool Washington uses to deny China access to advanced technologies even when the products are produced overseas.

China is learning from the best. Beijing is copying Washington’s playbook because it has seen firsthand how effectively U.S. export controls can constrain its own economic development and political choices.

China began preparing for this moment a long time ago. The trade war that broke out during the reign of Donald Trump in 2018 forced Beijing to create a toolkit for retaliation.

By 2020, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced the Untrustworthy Entities List, a mirror image of the US blacklist banning certain foreign companies.

A year later, Beijing enacted an anti-foreign sanctions law that gives authorities the power to freeze assets and deny visas to individuals or firms deemed hostile to Chinese interests.

Chinese media called it “a toolkit to counter foreign sanctions” and stated in one commentary that Beijing would “respond with the enemy’s methods.”

The new law is based on international principles that could help prevent future escalations. China often borrows from foreign legal frameworks when preparing its own legal framework; It’s an approach that experts describe as pragmatic rather than ideological.

The New Era of Trade Retaliation

The latest conflict was sparked when President Trump returned to the White House and reignited the trade war with Beijing. His first salvo was a 10% tariff on chemicals related to Chinese fentanyl. Beijing hit back hard, adding PVH Group and biotech giant Illumina to the Untrustworthy Entities List, barring them from Chinese trade and investment.

Soon after, China tightened export controls on critical materials such as tungsten and bismuth. When Trump imposed another 10% tariff in March, Beijing escalated tensions again, blacklisting more U.S. firms and expanding restrictions to aerospace and defense companies.

Then came the dramatic “Liberation Day” tariffs in April. Trump imposed a 125% tariff, and Beijing responded in kind, halting shipments of rare earth magnets and adding more American companies to its blacklist.

This separation may spiral further. What one party sees as reciprocity, the other party may interpret as escalation.

But Beijing’s message is clear: America no longer has a monopoly on tough trade policies. China has mastered this game and now plays it by Washington’s own rules.