Washington (USA), Feb. 4 (LaPresse) – China “plays its game” on rare earths, but “it cannot play under a monopoly regime, so competition is needed for the free market.” This was stated by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani upon his arrival in Washington, where he will today participate in the first ministerial meeting on critical minerals organized by the Trump Administration. According to Tajani, “today, in fact, China plays its game under a monopoly regime. This is not acceptable; we want free competition. It is a principle, and it also applies to raw materials.”
The minister added, “If we want to compete globally, we need raw material prices that allow us not to be handicapped,” and “today there is a position of Chinese predominance, and we must find a way to be more competitive. Therefore, Europe, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and India, together with African countries, must find a strategy that allows us to compete globally and have raw material costs that make us more competitive.” Tajani emphasized that “there is no hostility towards China. We are for competition, we are for the free market, and we work so that the free market can truly exist.”