A high-ranking Chinese official issued a fierce rebuke on Tuesday, accusing President Trump of launching a reckless and humiliating trade offensive that he predicted would soon boomerang and bring misery to Americans.
Xia Baolong, who holds authority over Hong Kong and Macao affairs, harshly condemned Trump’s recent imposition of a steep 145% tariff on goods from those territories, labeling it “brutally unreasonable.”
“The US isn’t after our tariffs but our very survival,” Xia declared during a nationally televised address. “The US has repeatedly contained and suppressed Hong Kong … and this will eventually backfire on itself.”
He went on to say, “Let those peasants in the United States wail in front of the 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.”
Xia argued that the Chinese people, including those in Hong Kong, are no strangers to foreign pressure, and he warned that such hostile measures would fail to yield results.
“The Chinese people do not cause trouble, nor are they afraid of trouble. Pressure, threats and blackmail are not the right way to deal with China,” he said.
His fiery comments followed China’s retaliatory move last week to increase tariffs on American imports to 125%, a direct response to Trump’s announcement of the 145% duty on Chinese products.
Tensions have been escalating for weeks. Earlier this month, Vice President JD Vance made headlines for remarks that further strained relations when he stated that America is reliant on “Chinese peasants to buy things those Chinese peasants manufacture.”
The comment provoked immediate condemnation from Chinese officials. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian blasted the vice president’s statement, calling it both uninformed and insulting.
“It is surprising and sad to hear such ignorant and impolite words from this vice president,” Lin said at the time.
{Matzav.com}