‘Wall of Steel’: China shares Xi Jinping’s old video as Trump slaps 145% tariff
Tensions between Washington and Beijing have deepened following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping new tariffs directed squarely at China. While a 90-day suspension has been granted to most other nations, the measures targeting Chinese imports remain firmly in place.
In a strong display of defiance, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning posted a video from July 2021 featuring President Xi Jinping, captioned “Never underestimate the strong resolve of the 1.4 billion Chinese people to defend their interests!” reflecting Beijing’s increasingly hardened stance. In the clip, Xi issues a pointed warning to countries challenging China:
“We have never bullied, oppressed, or subjugated the people of any other country, and we never will. By the same token, Chinese people will never allow any foreign force to bully, oppress, or subjugate us. Anyone who would attempt to do so will find themselves on a collision course with a great wall of steel forged by over 1.4 billion Chinese people,” Xi said.
The message made it clear that China is standing its ground as the trade fight with the US heats up. As the world’s second-biggest economy and a major trading partner for America, China hasn’t backed down—it’s been answering Trump’s tariff hikes with matching moves of its own.
Rhetoric heats up as tariffs climb
Earlier, Mao Ning had also shared an archival video of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong referring to the United States as a “paper tiger,” invoking Cold War-era rhetoric to frame the intensifying standoff.
While Trump paused import taxes on several countries, the US has raised tariffs on Chinese goods to a total of 145 per cent , a move Beijing decried as “economic bullying.” The new tariffs are set to take effect on Saturday, prompting China to promise strong countermeasures.
Washington’s continued escalation of tariffs “will become a joke in the history of the world economy,” said a Chinese Finance Ministry spokesperson, warning that China “will resolutely counter and fight to the end” if the US persists in undermining its interests.
China’s Commerce Ministry also announced plans to file another lawsuit against the United States with the World Trade Organization.
“There are no winners in a tariff war,” President Xi reiterated during a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, according to a state media readout. “For more than 70 years, China has always relied on itself and hard work for development—never relying on favors from anyone, and not fearing any unreasonable suppression.”
(With Inputs from AP)
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