China has strategically replaced the Soviet Union as the primary rival to the United States, initiating "Cold War 2.0," a competition fought through economic dependency and control of foundational technologies rather than military confrontation. Beijing leveraged globalization, Western capital, and universities to achieve dominance in critical supply chains, including 69% of global rare earth mining, 90% of processing, 90% of high-performance magnets, and 30% of precision bearings.
The U.S., which once produced 37% of microchips, now produces 10-12%, reflecting decades of deindustrialization. Washington is now accelerating efforts, exemplified by the CHIPS Act and allied supply chain restructuring, to counter China's 35-year strategic patience. Key events like Brazil's May 2025 visit to Washington for rare minerals discussions and China's 2024 export cuts of defense-critical materials underscore the escalating competition. The author notes that the post-1945 global institutions are fracturing under these new pressures, emphasizing that neutrality is an illusion in this civilizational contest.
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