The US-China trade tensions have hit boiling point—again. But this time, Beijing is taking a fiery throwback route.
In a dramatic move that blends nationalism with modern diplomacy, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning posted a decades-old video of Mao Zedong from 1953, when China was at war with the US. Mao Ning’s caption? “We are Chinese. We are not afraid of provocations. We don’t back down.”
This sharp message comes amid a full-blown tariff war reignited by the US. President Donald Trump recently slapped 125% tariffs on Chinese goods—an aggressive response to China’s retaliatory increase in tariffs from 34% to 84%, effective April 10.
In the video clip, Mao Zedong sends a defiant message to the US, saying: “No matter how long this war is going to last, we will never yield. We’ll fight until we completely triumph.”
It’s a powerful historical reference—and a not-so-subtle warning.
Earlier, Trump had already threatened an additional 50% tariff hike after China’s initial response to his reciprocal tariffs announced during Liberation Day on April 2.
China, however, has dismissed the US tariffs as “groundless” and slammed them as “unilateral bullying”, as stated by its Ministry of Commerce.
The reposting of Mao Zedong’s wartime remarks seems to be China’s way of signaling two things loud and clear:
It won’t be cornered, and it’s ready for a long, bitter trade standoff.
Whether this video goes down as mere rhetoric or the start of a deeper diplomatic escalation remains to be seen. But one thing is certain—China is turning up the heat with history as its
