用法学习: 1. surge into (something) 暴力闯进 I. Of a liquid or gas, to enter into something or some place in a great gush or burst. Cold air comes surging into the house if you leave the doors open for more than a couple of seconds. Rainwater started surging into the room through a crack in the window. II. Of people, animals, or things, to enter something or some place in large numbers and all at once. Hundreds of people surged into the store to nab one of their amazing Black Friday deals. A huge colony of bats surged into the sky from the mouth of the cave. Scores of teenagers and young adults were participating in so-called "link-ups" – using social media apps including TikTok and Snapchat before surging into shops. "Without a government seriously cracking down on crime and a mayor that prioritises effective policing, we are powerless," he said. London Mayor Sadiq Khan condemned the scenes in Clapham as "utterly unacceptable" and pledged that "the culprits will face the full force of the law." Khan’s office stated that police are now working with social media companies to clamp down on viral online content that promotes violence and theft. 2. mow the/(one's) lawn I. Literally, to cut the grass in one's lawn or yard using a mower. I need to go mow the lawn before it starts to rain. II. slang To comb one's hair. Go mow your lawn before church. III. slang To smoke marijuana. Just tell your parents you're going to mow the lawn with us—they won't know what you mean. mow the lawn 隔三差五地教训一下, 时不时教训一下, 时不时修理一下, 教育一下, ku chua 几下: Mowing the grass (Hebrew: כיסוח דשא) is a metaphor used to describe periodic Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip to manage the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. During such attacks, Israel has targeted Palestinian militants, civilians, and civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. The strategy is usually carried out by conducting short, sharp military operations to maintain a certain level of control over the area without committing to a long-term political solution, similar to how one would mow a lawn to keep it neat and tidy. The term was coined by Efraim Inbar and Eitan Shamir, two scholars associated with the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, where they described how "Israel is acting in accordance with a "mowing the grass" strategy. After a period of military restraint, Israel is acting to severely punish Hamas for its aggressive behavior, and degrading its military capabilities – aiming at achieving a period of quiet." According to Adam Taylor in The Washington Post, "the phrase implies the Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and their supply of crude but effective homemade weapons are like weeds that need to be cut back." 3. the adult/adults in the room 一群人里唯一成熟的人, 唯一的大人 The person in a group who is behaving in a mature or responsible manner. the mature and intelligent people in a given situation These meetings always devolve into petty finger-pointing, leaving me feeling like the only adult in the room. Bill, enough with the stupid, juvenile remarks. The adults in the room are trying to have a real discussion here. A frequent thought-terminating cliché (A thought-terminating cliché is a form of loaded language – often passing as folk wisdom (似是而非的)民间智慧, 警世名言, 格言, 名言警句 – intended to end an argument and reinforce cognitive dissonance with a cliché rather than a point. Some such clichés are not inherently terminating and only become so when used to intentionally dismiss dissent or justify fallacies. The term was popularized by Robert Jay Lifton in his 1961 book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism, who referred to the use of the cliché, along with "loading the language", as "the language of non-thought". The concept is also known as a semantic stop-sign, a thought-stopper, bumper sticker logic, or cliché thinking. 例子: "There are worse things in life to worry about." – implies that less significant issues are not worth addressing since they are not as significant as other issues and implies that a person's situation is not significant enough to even warrant discussion or action. "Here we go again." – implies that the redundant, cyclical nature of a given disagreement means it will never be resolved. "So what? What effect does my action have?" – used to dismiss an individual's involvement in a larger cause on the grounds that one person is too insignificant to ever have a meaningful impact. "Let's agree to disagree." – used to stop discussion of an issue rather than attempt to resolve it; may, however, instantiate a dialectic. "It is what it is." – a tautology which implies that things are unchangeable, therefore there is no point in further discussion. ) about our governance situation in the US is something like: "Where are the adults in the room?" This useless utterance implies some superiority of the speaker, that an adult like them could fix things easily; the same dead-end of thought applies to those who quickly agree to these clichés. 4. half-truth a statement that is intended to deceive someone by telling only part of the truth. A half-truth is a deceptive statement that includes some element of truth. The statement might be partly true, the statement may be totally true, but only part of the whole truth, or it may use some deceptive element, such as improper punctuation, or double meaning, especially if the intent is to deceive, evade, blame or misrepresent the truth. A deceptive statement, especially one that is only partly true, is incomplete, misrepresents reality by telling part of the truth, or alters the time sequence of truths. Usage notes: Half-truths may use various tools, including statistics, unexpected meanings of words, facts taken out of context, or even nonstandard punctuation to corrupt 歪曲 the meaning conveyed by an otherwise true statement. assume the mantle = pick up the mantle = take up the mantle 继承衣钵, 继承遗志, 代为履行职责 (idiomatic, with "of") To take on a specific role or position, along with any associated responsibilities. "Taking up the mantle" means assuming a significant role, responsibility, or leadership position previously held by someone else, often signifying a continuation of their legacy. This idiom implies inheriting authority, duty, or a specific, often challenging task. It is frequently used in contexts of mentorship, leadership succession, or in heroic/fictional narratives. Etymology: From the act of putting on particular robes of office. 5. Meerkat fights 领土之争, 互相争抢, 都得死去活来 refer to either violent territorial battles between rival groups (mobs) or play fighting among juveniles to develop social and physical skills. They are highly territorial, frequently engaging in aggressive intergroup aggression, making them one of the most violent mammal species to their own kind. TBBT: Howard: You guys going to Professor Tupperman's memorial? Raj: I don't know. Leonard: Probably not. Sheldon: Barely knew him. Howard: Yeah, you wouldn't want to look like you guys are brown-nosing 谄媚 the tenure committee, who will all be there. Oh, yeah, that's what I was hoping for, meerkats. Amy: She plans on flirting with members of the tenure committee to further Leonard's cause. Sheldon: Well, that's a fine how-do-you-do. Don't just stand there. Take your breasts out. Howard: Ooh, meerkat fight! Amy: You're all wasting your time. Sheldon is the most qualified for the job, and no amount of gravity-defying bosom's going to change that. Seriously, is that tape? Like, how are they staying up like that? 6. a day late and a dollar short/shy 太晚了, 太少了 Too late and too feeble to achieve the desired effect. His apology was a day late and a dollar short. Usage notes: Permits relatively little variation, but can be found with shy for short, other units for day and dollar, and occasionally a unit of distance instead of dollar. make headway 取得进展, 有进步 to begin to succeed. If you make headway, you progress towards achieving something. He is not disappointed at the failure to make headway towards resolving their differences. There was concern in the city that police were making little headway in the investigation. Has the city made any headway in attracting new businesses? show/give no quarter 杀光 If you say that someone was given no quarter, you mean that they were not treated kindly by someone who had power or control over them. no pity or mercy. used to say that an enemy, opponent, etc., is treated in a very harsh way. The soldiers showed/gave no quarter to the enemy. This is not war as you learned it. It is brutal work, with no quarter given. a military phrase meaning to refuse enemy surrender and show no mercy, resulting in killing all enemy combatants rather than taking prisoners. Offering "no quarter" is illegal under international law, specifically the ICRC Casebook, the Geneva Convention, and the US military's own rules of engagement. 7. Independent expenditure-only political action committees, commonly known as super PACs( His work in office has included efforts to regulate artificial intelligence (AI), drawing intense opposition from AI industry-aligned lobbying groups and super PACs.), are a type of political action committees (PACs) in the United States. Unlike traditional PACs, super PACs are legally allowed to fundraise unlimited amounts of money from individuals or organizations for the purpose of campaign advertising; however, they are not permitted to either coordinate with or contribute directly to candidate campaigns or political parties. However, in practice, restrictions on such coordination are considered flimsy and poorly enforced. Super PACs are subject to the same organizational, reporting, and public disclosure requirements as traditional PACs. Many super PACs are candidate-oriented but some focus on specific issues, an industry, a piece of legislation or a federal administrative rule. Super PACs were made possible by two judicial decisions in 2010: Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission by the U.S. Supreme Court and, two months later, the federal Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit decision in Speechnow.org v. FEC. While Citizens United became widely recognized as enabling unlimited political spending, the SpeechNow v. FEC decision has been identified by scholars and journalists as the actual catalyst for super PAC proliferation. Unlike Citizens United, which addressed independent expenditures by corporations and unions, SpeechNow eliminated limits on contributions to political committees making independent expenditures, thereby creating the modern super PAC. The popular focus on Citizens United has largely overshadowed the SpeechNow opinion and its impact on campaign finance practices in U.S. elections. In the years following the SpeechNow ruling, several states attempted to enact contribution limits on super PACs. All were struck down, with judges citing the SpeechNow precedent. A "pop-up" super PAC is one that is formed within 20 days before an election, so that its first finance disclosures will be filed after the election. In 2018 the Center for Public Integrity recorded 44 pop-up super PACs formed on October 18 or later, a year when the Federal Election Commission pre-general election reports covered activity through October 17. In 2020 there were more than 50. Pop-up super PACs often have local-sounding or issue-oriented names. However, they can be funded by much larger party-affiliated PACs. In 2021 the Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint with the FEC, listing 23 pop-up Super PACs which had failed to disclose their affiliation to other PACs mostly affiliated with leaderships of the two major parties. In the 2024 election cycle, there were 2,458 super PACs that raised $4,290,768,955 and spent $2,727,234,077. Because super PACs were able to coordinate with campaigns on canvassing for the first time, Donald Trump's campaign relied on Elon Musk's America PAC, a super PAC, to lead his get-out-the-vote efforts in swing states. 7. Deus vult" (Latin for "God wills it") 上帝的意旨 is a historic Christian motto and battle cry, famously shouted by Crusaders during the First Crusade in 1096. It signifies divine providence and, at the time, was used to justify holy war. Today, it is associated with Crusader history and occasionally used in modern religious or cultural contexts. Deus vult (Latin for 'God wills it') is a Christian motto historically tied to ideas of divine providence and individual interpretation of God's will. 8. The just war theory (Latin: bellum iustum) is a doctrine, also referred to as a tradition, of military ethics that aims to ensure that a war is morally justifiable through a series of criteria, all of which must be met for a war to be considered just. It has been studied by military leaders, theologians, ethicists and policymakers. The criteria are split into two groups: jus ad bellum ("right to go to war") and jus in bello ("right conduct in war"). There have been calls for the inclusion of a third category of just war theory (jus post bellum) dealing with the morality of post-war settlement and reconstruction. The just war theory postulates that war, while it is terrible but less so with the right conduct, is not always the worst option, but justifiable when justice is an objective of armed conflict. Important responsibilities, undesirable outcomes, or preventable atrocities may justify war. Opponents of the just war theory may either be inclined to a stricter pacifist standard (proposing that there has never been nor can there ever be a justifiable basis for war) or they may be inclined toward a more permissive nationalist standard (proposing that a war need only to serve a nation's interests to be justifiable). In many cases, philosophers state that individuals do not need to be plagued by a guilty conscience if they are required to fight. A few philosophers ennoble the virtues of the soldier while they also declare their apprehensions for war itself. A few, such as Rousseau, argue for insurrection against oppressive rule.
1. slight adj. I. small in amount or degree: He speaks with a slight French accent. She had a slight 轻微的感冒 cold, but wasn't feeling too bad. a slight improvement. a slight incline. She had a slight headache 轻微的, 些微的. the slightest idea I don't have the slightest idea what he's talking about. II. (of people) thin and delicate: He was a young man of slight build 瘦削的 with sensitive eyes and expressive hands. Like most long-distance runners she is very slight. III. not dealing with very serious or important subjects, or not needing much serious thought: It's a slight 轻松的, 不严肃的 but enjoyable tale. His terrific performance lifts this otherwise slight film. verb. I. to insult someone by ignoring them or treating them as if they are not important. to insult someone by not paying attention or by treating the person as unimportant: He slighted his wife by neglecting to introduce her. I felt slighted 不搭理, 爱答不理的, 看不起, 看不上, 被鄙视 when my boss thanked everyone but me for their hard work. noun. I. an action that insults a person because someone fails to pay attention to them or to treat them with the respect that they deserve: I regarded her failure to acknowledge my greeting as a slight. 2. shimmy 摇肩摆臀的跳舞, 摇头摆尾, 摇头晃脑, 爬上, 爬下 verb. I. to do a dance in which you shake your hips and shoulders. If you shimmy, you dance or move in a way that involves shaking your hips and shoulders from side to side. Dancers shimmied in the streets of New Orleans. The singer shimmied across the stage in an incredibly sexy dress. She shimmied across the dance floor. II. mainly UK (US usually shin, shinny) to climb smoothly up, down, or along something by holding it tightly with your arms and legs: He could shimmy up 爬上, 爬下, 攀爬 a drainpipe with ease. Workers on the roof shimmied down ladders. III. to move up and down and from side to side with small, quick movements, especially in order to put on or take off clothes: Every woman has had that moment of elation when she shimmies into something a size smaller than usual. She shimmied out of that brown dress while her daughter was still fiddling with buttons. IV. US If a car shimmies, it makes a very light shaking movement that is not the usual movement of the car.
1. Sand pagodas 沙塔 ( known as sand stupas [ˈstuːpə]), are temporary pagodas or stupas erected from mud or sand as a means of cultivating Buddhist merit. The practice is common to Theravada Buddhists throughout mainland Southeast Asia, primarily in Myanmar (Burma), Laos, and Thailand. In Northern Thailand, sand pagodas are constructed during Songkran. The largest such festival in Chiang Mai is held at Wat Chetlin; the resulting pagoda has five tiers, stands about 8 metres (26 ft) tall, and uses 700 cubic metres (25,000 cu ft) of sand. A stupa is a dome-shaped, often solid, South Asian Buddhist monument created to house sacred relics and for circumambulation ( circumambulate [ˌsɜːkəmˈæmbjʊˌleɪt] 围着走, 绕着走, 转圈 I. to walk around (something). To walk around something in a circle, especially for a ritual purpose. II. (intransitive) to avoid the point. ). A pagoda is an evolution of the stupa—a, multi-storied tower with, projecting roofs found in East/Southeast Asia. While both serve as reliquaries, pagodas often have, vertical, tiered, designs, and sometimes, interior, spaces. Burmese sand pagodas are typically of graduated five tiers, tapering to the top, with each tier flanked by bamboo masts. The five tiers represent five layers of Mount Meru, the legendary peak of Buddhist cosmology. Devotees offer fruits, flowers and other offerings, and circumambulate the sand pagoda thrice before paying homage. On the full moon day of Tabaung, the sand pagoda's umbrella crown or hti is removed. 2. The Yakshas 夜叉 (Sanskrit: यक्ष, IAST: Yakṣa, Pali: Yakkha) are a broad class of nature spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist texts, as well as ancient and medieval era temples of South Asia and Southeast Asia as guardian deities. The feminine form of the word is IAST: Yakṣī or Yakshini (Sanskrit: यक्षिणी, IAST: Yakṣiṇī; Pali: Yakkhini). The Yakshas are a broad class of nature spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. In Hindu, Jain and Buddhist texts, the yakṣas have a dual personality. On the one hand, a yakṣa may be an inoffensive nature-fairy, associated with woods and mountains; but there is also a darker version of the yakṣa, which is a kind of (bhuta) that haunts the wilderness and waylays and devours travellers, similar to the rakṣasas (Rakshasa 罗刹 (Sanskrit: राक्षस, pronounced [ɾɑːk.ʂɐ.s̪ɐ], romanized: rākṣasa; Pali: rakkhasa; lit. 'demon' or 'fiend') are a race of usually malevolent beings prominently featured in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Indonesian folk Islam. They reside on Earth but possess supernatural powers, which they usually use for evil acts such as disrupting Vedic sacrifices or eating humans. The term is also used to describe asuras, a class of power-seeking beings that oppose the benevolent devas. They are often depicted as antagonists in Hindu scriptures, as well as in Buddhism and Jainism. The feminine form of rakshasa is rakshasi (राक्षसी, IPA: [ɾɑːk.ʂɐ.s̪iː], rākṣasī). In the world of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Rakshasas were a populous race. There were both good and evil rakshasas, and as warriors, they fought alongside the armies of both good and evil. They were powerful warriors, expert magicians and illusionists. As shape-changers 变身, 变形, they could assume different physical forms. As illusionists, they were capable of creating appearances which were real to those who believed in them or who failed to dispel them. Some of the rakshasas were said to be man-eaters and made their gleeful appearance when the slaughter on a battlefield was at its worst. Occasionally, they served as rank-and-file soldiers in the service of one or another warlord. Aside from their treatment of unnamed rank-and-file Rakshasas, the epics tell the stories of certain members of these beings who rose to prominence, sometimes as heroes but more often as villains. Thapar suggests that the Rakshasas could represent exaggerated, supernatural depictions of demonised forest-dwellers who were outside the caste society.). 3. Saraca asoca, commonly known as the ashoka tree 无忧树 (asoke 曼谷地铁站) (lit. "sorrow-less"), is a plant belonging to the Detarioideae subfamily of the Fabaceae family of plants (also referred to as the legume, pea, or bean family). The ashoka tree is used as a traditional medicinal plant. It is considered sacred throughout the Indian subcontinent, especially in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. This tree has many folklorical, religious and literary associations in the region. Highly valued as well for its handsome appearance and the color and abundance of its flowers, the ashoka tree is often found in royal palace compounds and gardens as well as close to temples throughout India. The ashoka tree is closely associated with the yakshi mythological beings. One of the recurring elements in Indian art, often found at gates of Buddhist and Hindu temples, is the sculpture of a yakshini with her foot on the trunk and her hands holding the branch of a flowering ashoka tree. As an artistic element, often the tree and the yakshi are subject to heavy stylization. Some authors hold that the young girl at the foot of this tree is based on an ancient tree deity related to fertility. Yakshis under the ashoka tree were also important in early Buddhist monuments as a decorative element and are found in many ancient Buddhist archaeological sites. With the passing of the centuries the yakshi under the ashoka tree became a standard decorative element of Hindu Indian sculpture and was integrated into Indian temple architecture as salabhanjika, because there is often a confusion between the ashoka tree and the sal tree (Shorea robusta) in the ancient literature of the Indian subcontinent. 4. 湿婆(Shiva)是印度教三大主神之一，与梵天 (Brahma)、毗湿奴 (Vishnu)并称，被湿婆派信徒奉为最高神。他兼具毁灭与再生、苦行与舞蹈、恐惧与慈爱等多重矛盾属性，额头上的第三只眼能释放灭世之火。作为毁灭之神，他通过“舞王”姿态演绎宇宙的毁灭与循环。Ganesha 象头神, the elephant-headed Hindu deity, is revered as the remover of obstacles, patron of arts and sciences, and the deva of intellect and wisdom. As the Lord of Beginnings, he is honored at the start of new ventures, rituals, and ceremonies. He signifies wisdom, prosperity, and the ability to overcome life's challenges. Ganesha 是湿婆的儿子. The three supreme gods in Hinduism, collectively known as the Trimurti (Sanskrit for "three forms"), are Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. They represent the cosmic functions of creation, preservation, and destruction/transformation. Together, they embody the continuous cycle of life, existence, and rebirth. Ganesh in Thailand Ganesha is revered in Thailand as Phra Phikhanet or Phra Phikanesuan, primarily worshipped as the remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences, and the deity of success, wisdom, and prosperity. Despite Thailand being a predominantly Buddhist country, Ganesha is integrated into Thai culture through historical Hindu influences and a, syncretic approach to spirituality that honors Hindu deities. Shiva 湿婆 is a principal deity in Hinduism, known as the "Destroyer" within the Trimurti, alongside Brahma and Vishnu, and as the Supreme Being in Shaivism. As the lord of meditation, yoga, and arts, he is often depicted with a third eye, a trident (trishula), and a serpent. He represents the auspicious, infinite, and non-physical nature of the cosmos. Brahma 梵天 is the Hindu god of creation, serving as the first member of the Trimurti trinity alongside Vishnu (preserver) and Shiva (destroyer). Known as the "Creator" and "grandfather" of all beings, he is depicted with four heads holding the Vedas, symbolizing supreme knowledge and the origin of the universe. Vishnu 毗湿奴 is a principal deity in Hinduism, revered as the "Preserver" (Sattva) within the Trimurti, which includes Brahma (Creator) and Shiva (Destroyer). As the Supreme Being in Vaishnavism, he upholds cosmic order (Dharma) and incarnates on Earth in various avatars—most notably Rama and Krishna—to restore balance during times of crisis. Usually depicted with blue skin (symbolizing the sky/ocean) and four arms, which hold a conch (sound), discus (mind/power), mace (strength), and lotus (purity). 5. King Naresuan the Great (颂德·帕·纳黎萱·玛哈拉, 讪佩二世，暹罗阿瑜陀耶王国国王（1590年－1605年在位），中兴雄主，传说为泰拳的开创者。后世尊称为纳黎萱大帝) (1555–1605) is associated with chickens—specifically fighting roosters—because his favored bird won a legendary cockfight against a Burmese prince, which bolstered his morale and is said to have paved the way for Siam's independence. Today, thousands of chicken statues are offered at his shrines to symbolize victory and request good fortune. Naresuan (1555/1556 – 25 April 1605), commonly known as Naresuan the Great, or Sanphet II was the 18th monarch of the Ayutthaya Kingdom and the 2nd of the Sukhothai dynasty. He was the king of the Ayutthaya Kingdom from 1590 and overlord of Lan Na from 1602 until his death in 165. Naresuan is one of Thailand's most revered monarchs as he is known for his campaigns to free Ayutthaya from the vassalage of the First Toungoo Empire. During his reign, numerous wars were fought against Taungoo Burma. Naresuan also welcomed the Dutch. The Legend of the Fighting Cock: According to legend, while held as a hostage in Burma in the 16th century, Prince Naresuan (later King) was involved in a cockfight with the Burmese Prince. Naresuan’s rooster won, humiliating the Burmese and helping to ignite his drive to win freedom for the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Throughout Thailand, particularly in Ayutthaya, thousands of chicken and rooster statues are placed at shrines and temples dedicated to King Naresuan. Devotees offer these statues in gratitude after a wish or blessing asked of the warrior king comes true. 6. blind alley 死路一条, 死局, 死胡同一条 a situation or method that is not effective or will not produce results. something that leads you nowhere or is of no use: ll our work has only led us up a blind alley. This sort of thinking just seems to be leading us up/down a blind alley. shortfall 缺口, 不足, 稀缺, 缺少 an amount that is less than the level that was expected or needed: The county had to close three of its four libraries because of a budget shortfall. The drought caused serious shortfalls in the food supply. the difference between the amount of something, especially money, that you have and the amount that you need: a shortfall of sth The state is facing a budget shortfall of $1.75 billion for the fiscal year. a shortfall in sth The organization is grappling with a major shortfall in its final salary pension scheme. a shortfall on sth I recently received notification of a potential shortfall on my low-cost endowment. make up/cover/meet a shortfall 弥补缺口. a pension/funding/budget shortfall. the long and the short of it 总之, 总的来讲, 总而言之, 简短来说, 简单来说, 总之一句话 said when you want to explain the general situation without giving details: The long and the short of it is that they are willing to start the work in January. misadventure 事故 an accident or bad luck. bad luck, or an experience with a bad result. His death was ruled a medical misadventure. death by misadventure 遇难 law UK specialized the official expression used in court for a death that happens by accident: The coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.
The Middle East war depleted US weapons. Rebuilding will require China's cooperation. Beijing has a stranglehold on the critical minerals the U.S. needs to rebuild its weapons cache following five weeks of war. The Middle East war has depleted a key part of the United States' missile defense system in the region. To rebuild, the U.S. needs to go through China. In just over a month of war, Iran has targeted several U.S. radar units spread across the region, cutting-edge defensive weapons that are used to detect and shoot down incoming missiles and drones. Military experts believe many have been damaged, if not destroyed. A key component of those interceptors is gallium, a critical mineral that is also used in other high-tech products like semiconductors. China has a near total monopoly over the processing of gallium. And it has already proven willing to limit access. Increased U.S. demand for the metal to rebuild its interceptors — a process that will take years — only strengthens Beijing's hand in the upcoming summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. “Broadly does it make us more vulnerable? Yes, I think so,” said Mikhail Zeldovich, an investor focused on critical minerals. “I don’t think there’s any doubt there.” Already, prices for gallium have increased by 32 percent in the past month, after months of lower prices following an Oct. 30 agreement between the U.S. and China. The negotiations were sparked in part by China’s near total control over the processing of critical minerals, including gallium, leverage the country used to cut off supply and force the U.S. to the negotiating table. If the demand for critical minerals increases as the U.S. attempts to restock its weapons cache, it would only strengthen China’s hand. “The minute you look like a demander and there’s things you want, then this relationship is at that point where the other side, then, is smelling leverage, right?” said Wendy Cutler, a former USTR negotiator. “And so [Beijing] can up their demands.” In addition to a range of consumer products, including semiconductors, electric vehicles, wind power generators and smartphone and laptop chargers, critical minerals are a key component of U.S. weapons systems and other defense technologies. Not only do interceptors rely on gallium for accurate threat detection, other heavy rare earth metals like terbium and dysprosium are key components in the missile targeting. China controls more than 90 percent of heavy rare earth metal processing. “Disrupting those supply chains can create new bottlenecks in the defense industry supply chains, which we already have enough challenges in meeting demand within our defense industry,” said Brian Hart, is the deputy director and fellow of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “So adding on critical mineral bottlenecks there just complicates things a lot.” As the U.S. regroups during the two-week ceasefire with Iran the president announced Thursday night, the military will be able to assess the damage to its weapons cache and what it will take to rebuild them. In the early days of the war, Iran launched strikes at seven U.S. military sites, aiming at communications and radar systems, according to The New York Times. Weakening those systems requires the U.S. and its allies to shoot more missiles to take out an incoming threat, at times using 10 or 11 interceptors to take down one missile, rapidly depleting U.S. supplies, according to an analysis by the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. The conflict in Iran adds further urgency to the federal government’s efforts to build alternative supply chains for critical minerals independent of China. “President Trump’s top priority is safeguarding America’s national and economic security, and the Trump administration is taking unprecedented action to shore up America’s critical minerals supply chain,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai said via email. “This is a robust, nimble, and multi-faceted strategy, and no tool is off the table — from direct investments into mining projects to international dealmaking.” In just the past year, the U.S. trade representative has set out to negotiate a plurilateral critical minerals trade agreement with multiple countries, the administration requested $1.1 billion for a critical minerals office in the Department of Energy and it has directed the State Department to work with allies to help secure the critical minerals supply chain. Last July, the Pentagon became the largest shareholder in MP Materials, which owns the only operational rare earth mine in the country, buying $400 million in preferred stock. In October, the White House announced a critical minerals deal with Australia, in which both countries plan to spend $3 billion on critical minerals projects, including a Defense Department investment in a gallium refinery in Western Australia that will produce 100 metric tons per year. “We are making large strides in the United States in regards to domestic self sufficiency 自给自足 for rare earths,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said at an event hosted by the Hudson Institute, a conservative-leaning D.C. think tank, on Tuesday. “We’re working with partners on this, talking about stockpiling, doing deals, not just mining facilities, but processing, refining, manufacturing and talking about pricing mechanisms to make sure it would be economically sustainable.” Minerals experts say gallium is one of the most promising areas for the U.S. to increase its supply. Not only is the market small, the metal is often a waste product from the refining of other metals, like aluminum and zinc. That means a company with the ability to capture gallium in its smelting process could help increase the global supply. But those efforts take time, much longer than it takes for the U.S. to deplete its weapons supplies. Alcoa, the U.S. company looking to mine in Australia as part of the Defense Department’s gallium effort, declined to comment for this article, saying it does not yet participate in the gallium supply chain. “In the medium to short term, I think we’re still going to be in a position where China can leverage this dominance in some of these critical minerals,” said Hart. “And I think that Beijing has been successful in doing that. That was clearly their biggest bargaining chip in bringing the Trump administration to the negotiating table and getting to the Busan agreement last year.” That trade truce has remained relatively stable over the past five months, as the Chinese have followed through on their promise to loosen export controls on critical minerals. But any efforts to alter that status quo could instantly swing the two countries back into a series of trade escalations that carried significant consequences for the U.S. economy — at one point erecting what was essentially an embargo between the two countries. It remains to be seen whether China will seek to use any new leverage from the Middle East War to its advantage. Ahead of Trump’s visit to the country in mid-May, Greer said the relationship between the two countries is stable. The Chinese, who seek predictability from Trump, may not want to disturb that balance. “I don’t see a reason for them to upset the apple cart(upset the apple cart = tip/knock over the applecart, overturn the applecart, rock the applecart to disrupt a procedure, spoil someone's plans, etc. to cause trouble or spoil something: The state-run media is hardly likely to upset the applecart and criticize the government. He is not very happy with how things are but he doesn't want to upset the apple cart. The occasional unexplained event is hardly enough to overturn the applecart of science. ),” said Derek Scissors, the chief economist for the China Beige Book, which tracks the Chinese economy. “Things are going fine. We’re alienating our allies, which is like a high priority for China internationally. So why mess with it for a small amount of leverage?”
