Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT

Washington's repeated efforts to take unilateral measures against Chinese manufacturing increasingly look like a self-defeating game, which inflicts collateral damage on critical sectors of its own economy while proving utterly futile in hindering China's development.

The US Department of Commerce on Tuesday issued a press release regarding the preliminary affirmative determination in the countervailing duty investigation of active anode materials from China, concluding that the materials had been "unfairly subsidized." The ruling set the stage for anti-subsidy duties on imports of key battery components from China, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. Active anode materials, including graphite and silicon, are pivotal for batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs).

The development followed a trade association's petitions filed in December, which sought investigations into whether Chinese companies were violating anti-dumping laws, aiming to trigger punitive tariffs of as much as 920 percent on Chinese graphite.

This was not the first time the US has initiated investigations into leading Chinese industries in an effort to pursue "decoupling" from China's industrial and supply chains. However, as has been evident in the past, a closer examination of the relevant industries in both China and the US reveals just how unrealistic such investigations and "decoupling" attempts are.

Graphite, a crucial raw material for various industries including semiconductors and aerospace, significantly influences production costs and competitiveness in these sectors. The US relies on China for 59 percent of its natural graphite imports and 68 percent of artificial graphite, according to Capstone LLC, Bloomberg reported.  Consequently, if the US imposes high tariffs to restrict imports of Chinese graphite, it will encounter a substantial supply gap. Many companies that heavily rely on Chinese graphite will have no option but to contend with skyrocketing costs.

For the EV industry in particular, graphite is the core raw material for batteries. An increase in battery costs will directly affect the development of the US EV industry and may even erode its global market competitiveness.

As for China, its graphite export market is not limited to the US, with strong demand also coming from Europe, Asia and other emerging markets. Furthermore, as global demand for lithium batteries and new energy continues to rise, China's graphite export markets are poised for significant growth.

In this sense, the US Commerce Department's ruling is but the latest act in Washington's delusional "decoupling" drama. In recent years, the US has frequently resorted to various means in multiple industrial sectors to pursue "decoupling" from China's industrial and supply chains, all in the name of safeguarding so-called "economic security" and "industrial advantages." But this idea is severely divorced from reality. Weaponizing trade by Washington will not achieve any economic gains for its own industries.

China is the world's top graphite producer and exporter and also refines more than 90 percent of the world's graphite into the material that is used in virtually all EV battery anodes, according to the Straits Times. China, through years of investment and development, has established a complete industrial system in the key battery material sector, boasting strong industrial competitiveness that cannot be easily shaken by external pressures.

So instead of focusing unduly on responding to the unreasonable US tariffs, China would rather focus its attention to its own development. China's competitiveness in the key battery material industry is the result of years of technological accumulation and market nurturing.

For instance, Chinese scientists from the Institute of Metal Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with an international team, just made important breakthroughs in the study of all-solid-state batteries, with the findings published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on Tuesday. The achievement fully demonstrates China's strength and innovative capabilities in battery technology research and development.

If the US persists with this sanctions-and-containment approach, more problems will follow. History shows that its efforts to protect "economic security" are undermining the very industries they aim to safeguard. Every tariff on Chinese supplies raises costs for American manufacturers, and every "decoupling" attempt weakens its own supply chains. As other nations witness the US disregard for multilateralism, its reliability in international economic cooperation is facing scrutiny. Ultimately, Washington's unilateral measures will leave itself in mired in a quagmire of its own making.