Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Photo: open sources
After the United States imposed tariffs of up to 104% on Chinese goods, China responded with a powerful wave of social media censorship, anti-American propaganda, and promises to “fight to the end”. Keywords related to the tariffs are being removed from platforms, while state media is promoting mocking messages: “The US is waging a trade war, but it is suffering from a lack of eggs”. This was reported by Reuters.
What happened:
- Blocked hashtags: Words such as “customs” or “104” cannot be found in a search on the main Weibo social network – the system displays an error.
- Official campaign: State broadcaster CCTV promotes the hashtag “#USAwillwagetradewarandsufferfromeggshortage”. The posts say that Washington is “begging for eggs from Europe” while imposing duties on European metals.
- The promise of retaliation: China announced countermeasures against the US and called Washington’s actions “blackmail”.
- Selective censorship: Critical posts are blocked, but ironic comments against the US are spread without hindrance – within the strictly controlled “Great Firewall”.
What they say in China:
- Lawyer Pan Julin, a blogger with 10.5 million followers on Weibo, said: “America will quickly be replaced by India and Vietnam. Chinese companies will lose access to the US market.”
- If China imposes mirror duties of 104% on US goods, “Apple and Tesla products will go up in price, and the Chinese will pay more”.
- Commentator Hu Xijin: “Trump’s team is out of touch with reality. They are at war with the whole world and even with basic logic. Their actions will go down in history as an example of shame.”
Economic consequences:
- On Monday, theShanghai Composite Index fell by 7%, its worst performance in 5 years. On Wednesday, it recovered thanks to government statements about market support.
- China exports three times as much to the US as it imports, making it difficult to retaliate effectively with tariffs.
