China has begun cranking up its propaganda, amid serious concerns for its economy, and the threat of economic upheaval caused by US tariffs.
Beijing has begun rolling out videos using Cold War imagery to condemn foreign “imperialists” and send a simple message – that capitulation to bullies is dangerous, and we won’t back down.
The Communist regime has made little effort to contain its anger at the Trump Administration’s tariffs, which it says are tantamount to bullying and will do nothing to address issues such as fentanyl abuse and cannot stop the rise of the world’s second-largest economy.
ALSO SEE: China ‘Compiling a List of US Goods Exempt From Its 125% Tariffs’
On Tuesday, China’s foreign ministry released a video, complete with a voice-over in American-accented English, on its social media feeds that likened yielding to US President Donald Trump’s 145% tariffs to “drinking poison.”
“China won’t kneel down, because we know standing up for ourselves keeps the possibility of cooperation alive, while compromise snuffs it out,” the narration said, over footage of a Chinese MiG-15 fighter shooting down a US jet in the Korean War.
“Imperialists are always arrogant. If they show a bit of reason, it’s only because they are forced to do so,” it added, this time over footage of the signing of the armistice that ended the war.
‘Law of the jungle’
On Monday, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi likened Trump’s trade policy to “the open return of the law of the jungle,” during a meeting of foreign ministers from developing nations in Brazil.
“If we choose to stay silent or compromise, it will only embolden the bully further,” Wang told his BRICS bloc counterparts, according to a foreign ministry readout.
One Chinese official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said Beijing’s view is that yielding or compromising now would only weaken China in the future and allow Trump to change the terms later.
Messaging such as “Do Not Kneel” conveys this to a domestic and international audience, the person said.
Never Kneel Down! pic.twitter.com/z8FU3rMSBA
— CHINA MFA Spokesperson 中国外交部发言人 (@MFA_China) April 29, 2025
‘The King wants tariffs from the peasants’
On Chinese social media, where censors scrub anything sensitive, such as alleged human rights abuses, tariff memes abound.
“The King has come up with new tariffs! Peasants, peasants, listen up!” run the lyrics to an up-tempo, electro-beat song on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, referring to comments from Vice President JD Vance who used the term “peasants” to refer to Chinese people earlier this month.
“Tariffs for you even if you are not human!” the song continues, showing a picture of a penguin, after US levies were applied to uninhabited Antarctic islands.
One AI-generated image on WeChat shows Trump, Vance and Tesla boss Elon Musk assembling sneakers and cheap flip-flops at a factory. Another shows a picture of Trump next to a pig’s snout.
Still, not all Chinese social media perspectives are positive for Beijing.
On Zhihu, China’s equivalent to Quora, many of the answers to a question about the foreign ministry’s video were negative.
“Our foreign propaganda department is really poor in terms of ability. If you don’t know how to do propaganda, then just don’t do it,” wrote one user.
- Reuters with additional editing by Jim Pollard
ALSO SEE:
China’s Factory Activity Falls as US Tariffs Kill Export Orders
Shein, Temu Prices to Rise up to 200-300% After US Tariffs – SAN
China Warns CK Hutchison to be Careful on Ports Deal
China Says US Tariffs Severely Affect Its Airlines and Boeing
China Opts to Keep Its Powder Dry, Defers Unveiling New Stimulus
Tariffs Must be Scrapped if US Truly Wants a Trade Fix: China
China Mocks Trump’s Turnaround: ‘Tariffs to Drop Substantially’
China Vows to Retaliate if Trade Deals Hurt Its Interests
