Latest news with #PangJiulin
Al Arabiya
09-04-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
China sensors some US tariff-related content
China began censoring some tariff-related content on social media on Wednesday after US 'reciprocal' tariffs on dozens of countries took effect, including massive 104 percent duties on Chinese goods, while posts criticizing the US were top hits. Hashtags and searches for 'tariff' or '104' were mostly blocked on social media platform Weibo, with pages showing an error message. Other hashtags, particularly the US having an egg shortage, were amongst the most viewed on Weibo. State broadcaster CCTV started a hashtag '#UShastradewarandaneggshortage.' The US is 'waving the tariff stick in a high profile manner, imposing tariffs on EU steel and aluminum products.. but also writing letters to European countries in a low voice, urgently asking for eggs,' CCTV said in a post on Weibo. Beijing announced counter-tariffs on the US last week and has vowed to fight what it views as blackmail. Internet censors have also allowed mocking US comments to proliferate on Chinese social media, depicting the United States as a globally irresponsible trading partner, as China prepares the stage for a wider trade fight with the world's biggest economy China controls the internet through a system known as the 'Great Firewall' and social media posts are routinely censored when deemed detrimental to national interests. Foreign social media networks such as Instagram and X are blocked, a system that has created a captive market for domestic alternatives. Beijing lawyer Pang Jiulin, who has more than 10.5 million followers on his Weibo account, said China's share of exports to the US would quickly be replaced by countries such as Vietnam and India, and Chinese companies would lose the opportunity to continue exporting to the US. In the face of US economic aggression, China has no way out but to 'fight to the end' he said. 'If China also increases tariffs to 104 percent, the prices of American goods including Apple and Tesla will soar, and Chinese will pay a greater price for their favorite American goods.' Hitting back with its own tariffs and export controls may not be very effective, given China ships to the US about three times as much goods than around the $160 billion it imports. But it may be the only option if Beijing believes it has a higher pain threshold than Washington has. Chinese stocks tumbled on Monday with the Shanghai Composite Index down 7 percent on Monday in its worst day in five years, but they closed higher on Wednesday, buoyed by state pledges to support local markets. Prominent Chinese commentator Hu Xijin said on Wednesday that Trump's team was 'really delusional'. 'They are at war not only with the whole world, but also with the most basic rules of human society, so their chances of victory are zero,' Hu said. 'Their reciprocal tariffs will be nailed to the pillar of shame in history for future generations to laugh at.'
Reuters
09-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
China censors some tariff-related content on social media
HONG KONG, April 9 (Reuters) - China began censoring some tariff-related content on social media on Wednesday after U.S. "reciprocal" tariffs on dozens of countries took effect, including massive 104% duties on Chinese goods, while posts criticising the U.S. were top hits. Hashtags and searches for "tariff" or "104" were mostly blocked on social media platform Weibo, with pages showing an error message. The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here. Other hashtags, particularly the U.S. having an egg shortage, were amongst the most viewed on Weibo. State broadcaster CCTV started a hashtag "#UShastradewarandaneggshortage." The U.S. is "waving the tariff stick in a high profile manner, imposing tariffs on EU steel and aluminium products.. but also writing letters to European countries in a low voice, urgently asking for eggs," CCTV said in a post on Weibo. Beijing announced counter-tariffs on the U.S. last week and has vowed to fight what it views as blackmail. Internet censors have also allowed mocking U.S. comments to proliferate on Chinese social media, depicting the United States as a globally irresponsible trading partner, as China prepares the stage for a wider trade fight with the world's biggest economy China controls the internet through a system known as the "Great Firewall" and social media posts are routinely censored when deemed detrimental to national interests. Foreign social media networks such as Instagram and X are blocked, a system that has created a captive market for domestic alternatives. Beijing lawyer Pang Jiulin, who has more than 10.5 million followers on his Weibo account, said China's share of exports to the U.S. would quickly be replaced by countries such as Vietnam and India, and Chinese companies would lose the opportunity to continue exporting to the U.S. In the face of U.S. economic aggression, China has no way out but to "fight to the end" he said. "If China also increases tariffs to 104%, the prices of American goods including Apple and Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab will soar, and Chinese will pay a greater price for their favourite American goods." Hitting back with its own tariffs and export controls may not be very effective, given China ships to the U.S. about three times as much goods than around the $160 billion it imports. But it may be the only option if Beijing believes it has a higher pain threshold than Washington has. Chinese stocks tumbled on Monday with the Shanghai Composite Index (.SSEC), opens new tab down 7% on Monday in its worst day in five years, but they closed higher on Wednesday, buoyed by state pledges to support local markets. Prominent Chinese commentator Hu Xijin said on Wednesday that Trump's team was "really delusional". "They are at war not only with the whole world, but also with the most basic rules of human society, so their chances of victory are zero," Hu said. "Their reciprocal tariffs will be nailed to the pillar of shame in history for future generations to laugh at."
New York Times
09-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
China Censors Hashtags Mentioning ‘104%,' the Size of Trump's Tariffs
Chinese censors appeared to be carefully curating public discussion about the U.S. tariffs that took effect on Wednesday. They promoted criticism of the United States, while seemingly playing down the specifics of how President Trump's move would effectively increase import taxes on Chinese goods to 104 percent. On Weibo, a popular social media platform, several hashtags that used the number 104 — such as '104 tariff rate' or 'America to impose 104 percent tariff on Chinese goods' — returned an error message that said: 'Sorry, the content of this topic is not displayed.' But other hashtags that focused more squarely on mocking the United States, or on touting China's strengths, were allowed to trend — and in fact were explicitly initiated by state media. 'America is fighting a trade war while begging for eggs' was one popular hashtag started by CCTV, China's state broadcaster. 'China does not provoke trouble but is never afraid of it' was another. State media outlets adopted a similarly swaggering tone in their coverage. Several opinion pieces in the People's Daily, the Chinese Communist Party's official mouthpiece, declared that China had learned from years of trade frictions to diversify and shore up its economy. 'In Chinese people's genes, we never fear any risks, challenges, difficulties or contradictions, and can regard all kinds of external pressure as the driving force for our own progress,' one piece said. Other pieces did not directly reference the tariffs but still touted the strengths of the Chinese economy. A front-page article in the People's Daily laid out steps that the government would take to promote employment for fresh graduates. Prominent Weibo influencers joined in, saying the trade war was proof that the United States was in decline. Others said it was time for China to flex its strength. 'However long they want to fight, we will!' Pang Jiulin, a lawyer in Beijing with more than 10.5 million followers, wrote on the platform. 'China's system means that China really can do whatever it takes, and that those who pay the price in China won't protest like the large-scale demonstrations in the U.S.' Though some users described worries about the trade war's repercussions, voices expressing dissent or concern were generally limited. It was not clear whether other more negative posts had been censored, or why censors had targeted the hashtags about the 104 statistic in particular. Many individual posts that mentioned the figure were still visible, even as the hashtags themselves were blocked, and they generally expressed confident sentiments about China's prospects in the trade war. But the government likely wanted to direct attention away from the specifics of the high tariff rate, because of the severe implications it could have for the Chinese economy, said Ja Ian Chong, a professor of political science at the National University of Singapore. 'I think the CCP may not want to reveal how serious things are,' Professor Chong said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. The party and China's top leader, Xi Jinping, 'may not have a plan on how to address such complications as yet, so are probably trying to control narratives and direct vitriol toward the U.S. and Trump,' he added.
