One of China’s prime officers overseeing Hong Kong affairs, Xia Baolong, stated on Tuesday (April 15, 2025) that the United States’ tariff battle was “extremely shameless” and aims to “take away Hong Kong’s life”.
Mr. Xia, the director of China’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office beneath the State Council, stated bullying had by no means labored on Chinese individuals, together with these from Hong Kong.
Mr. Xia stated that “let those peasants in the United States wail in front of the 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation”.
“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,” Xia stated in a televised speech on Hong Kong’s National Security Education day.
The feedback got here after China hiked its levies on imports of U.S. items to 125%, hitting again at U.S. President Donald Trump’s choice to single out the world’s No.2 economic system for successfully elevating tariffs on Chinese items to 145%.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance stated this month the U.S. borrows and buys from “Chinese peasants”, remarks that drew condemnation in China.
Hong Kong, a particular administrative area of China, is topic to U.S. tariffs imposed on China as it’s now not thought-about a separate buying and selling entity by Washington amid a years-long crackdown beneath a sweeping nationwide safety regulation.
Also learn | Xi calls on EU to be a part of China in collectively resisting ‘unilateral bullying’ by U.S.
Unlike the mainland, Hong Kong, as a global free commerce hub, just isn’t planning to impose any retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. proper now, its chief John Lee stated final week.
Beijing has dismissed the U.S. president’s tariff technique as a “joke.”
Published – April 15, 2025 11:42 am IST
