The west should not mistake patience and restraint for weakness.
The problem with the West right now, is that the leadership class, is really stupid. Who knows, they could be in a complete panic.
My weird suspicion is that they might follow along on that so-called game theory thing.
The problem with that, is that would make it a game of solitaire. The West only plays it against itself. Others like Russia and China, just wait around, wait for the fog of war to reveal itself, then they make a move.
This tightening of rare earths and critical minerals by China, basically screws Western industry, and those are rather advanced industries.
This I would interpret it as a pre-emptive strike against any further trade tensions that should be coming.
China is still playing fairly lightly, and not hitting very hard yet, but this does really screw things up for others.
This is where the plot thickens. A trade war when the economy is trying to make a soft landing in America, and while the European economy is slowing.
By making this move now, IMHO, the next move by China, that next one will make them hurt. This is just some shelling before the actual attack.
Then again, if they relent and there are no more Western sanctions against China, then who knows if things will change.
The PRC does not engage in these types of fights to prove a point or to protect themselves. They will make them bleed.
We see what happens next over the next few months.
