In April, U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on nearly every U.S. trading partner, including China. But while he backed down swiftly for the rest of the world, Trump hiked tariffs on China specifically to an astronomical 145 percent as a result of Beijing’s retaliatory measures. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a firm condemnation of Trump’s measures, stating that the Chinese government “strongly opposes and will resolutely counter this move.” Beijing vowed to “fight to the end” and imposed reciprocal measures on U.S. exports to China, including agricultural products and Boeing aircraft.
In mid-May, China and the United States negotiated a temporary pause, with the U.S. reducing tariffs on Chinese imports back down to 30 percent and China dropping its rate to 10 percent. But few expect this to bring an end to the trade conflict between China and the U.S.
During this high-stakes standoff, another unique window into Chinese public perception has opened – not through official statements, but through the conversations taking place on WeChat, China’s dominant social media and messaging platform. The China-U.S. tariff war occupied substantial discussion on WeChat (known as 微信, Weixin, in Chinese).
Shortly after Trump’s tariff announcement, the official People’s Daily WeChat account published historic video footage of the PRC’s founding leader, Mao Zedong, from the Korean War era, featuring slogans such as “The Chinese people cannot be trifled with – when provoked, the consequences are grave” and “We shall fight as long as necessary, until complete victory is achieved.” Similarly, another official Chinese Communist Party (CCP) publication cited Mao’s remark that “all reactionaries are paper tigers,” metaphorically framing the updated tariff list as the “Battle of Triangle Hill in the New Era.” These symbolic invocations served to frame the economic confrontation within a legacy of national resistance, stirring popular sentiment.
A search for “Trump tariffs” on WeChat yields associated keywords such as “excessive,” “impact on trade,” and “tariff negotiations.” Among the top five user-generated queries are: “Who will win or lose in the China-U.S. tariff war?”, “Will the China-U.S. tariff war cripple the United States?”, “How is the tariff war unfolding and how can we break through?”, “Will the China-US tariff war affect you?” and “Why has the United States initiated a trade war against China?”
Responses have varied widely. Professionals involved in cross-border trade expressed early concerns that rising prices might scare off clients. Yet many reported that demand remained steady, with some even seeing increased orders on platforms, like DHgate, Taobao, and Alibaba, because price increases have failed to erode China’s competitiveness compared to goods priced in U.S. dollars. At the same time, employees at major tech firms like Alibaba and Tencent, have taken to social media, stating that “a 50 percent tariff and a 125 percent tariff make no difference” – a sentiment widely shared and liked.
Others have turned to metaphors, with one netizen posting: “Building a dam across the Yangtze – no matter how high you pile it – the water will always find another path. Block it entirely, and the current may wash the whole dam away.” The analogy offers a symbolic critique of aggressive protectionist policies and their potentially counterproductive outcomes.
On the other hand, groups more directly impacted by the price changes expressed concern. In a WeChat group dubbed “Grocery Market Economics,” many housewives exchanged views on fluctuations in pork prices – linking rising U.S. soybean import costs to changes in animal feed prices, and ultimately to everyday meals.
The impact on the labor market is also stoking deeper anxiety. A worker at a bedsheet factory in Suzhou shared via a short video platform: “Customer orders are shrinking, our factory’s now on rotating shifts. The supervisor said, ‘Trump’s tariffs are scaring off American clients.’” Meanwhile, knowledge-sharing platforms like Xiaoyuzhou (小宇宙) and Zhishi Xingqiu（知识星球）have seen the quiet rise of courses with titles like “Career Survival Strategies Amid Trade Wars.” These span topics from “transitioning into cross-border e-commerce” to “employment prospects in the semiconductor industry.”
In a response to a trending question on the WeChat “Ask” mini-program – “What do you think of Trump raising tariffs on China to 125 percent?” – one highly upvoted comment reads:
…Without highly efficient coordination on China’s side, American importers will face higher stockpiling needs, longer cash flow cycles, and greater profit risks. Naturally, this results in raised retail prices. The accumulated pressure will ultimately translate into sustained inflation in the U.S. – only then will ordinary Americans begin to feel the real pain.
This perspective illustrates a growing consensus in Chinese society, that trade friction between China and the United States is no longer an isolated or temporary disruption, but rather a structural phenomenon with far-reaching implications.
The public WeChat account “Small-Town Youth Observer”（小镇青年观察） recounted a telling anecdote in an appliance store in Ankang, a small city in north-central China. A salesperson promoting a domestic-brand robotic vacuum cleaner proudly emphasised, “It uses over 90 percent domestically produced chips.” When “technological self-reliance” evolves from national policy to casual conversation on the shop floor, it signals a subtle but profound shift in public cognition.
From memes to household budgets, from anxiety to strategic literacy, Chinese citizens’ perceptions of the China-U.S. trade conflict have undergone a significant transformation – from initial shock to gradual adaptation. Beneath this shift lies both a sense of loss at the receding tide of globalization and a sober recognition of the realities of great-power rivalry.
As one Beijing ride-hailing driver put it: “American tariffs are like wind and rain – you can’t escape them. But we’ve got to fix our own roof and keep a few umbrellas handy.”