Beijing:
Between the growing trade war between the United States and China, Beijing has changed its strategy to deal with Washington by targeting its message directly on the American public rather than the Trump administration. China’s latest communication for American citizens challenges the popular story among aggressive Americans that tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump tariffs foreign economies without domestic results.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning posted a video on X which featured a person who is considered an American importer. In the video, the man addresses the American public, especially Trump supporters, warning that ordinary citizens -not abroad -will bear the cost of the aggressive trade policies of the trump, which will increase the prices of imported goods and burden consumers.
Do foreign countries pay tariffs? No -American business pays, then pass the cost you.
Tariffs do not bring back construction. They are only one tax on Americans. pic.twitter.com/iow3irfpiq
– Mao Ning (@Spoxchn_Maoning) April 12, 2025
Mao captioned the post, “Foreign countries pay tariffs? No – American business pays.
American China Trade War
US President Donald Trump, after implementing heavy taxes on Chinese goods, called him a “mutual tariff”.
Trump on Wednesday extended bets in a trade war, which threatens to increase the global supply chains to 145 percent by increasing the tariff on Chinese goods. In vengeance, Beijing on Friday increased its tariffs on US imports by 125 percent.
Analysts say that the tight-for-tat tariff increases by the US and China to trade goods between the world’s two largest economies. In 2024, this commerce was more than $ 650 billion.
Trump said on the Air Force forest, “We can do a lot that we want to do, but we want to be fair. We can set the tariff, and they can’t deal with us or they can choose to pay it,” Trump said on the Air Force one, repeating their disputes that the US-wide tariffs are paid by the foreign exporter.
How to work tariffs
Although such levy can reduce the pain on the exporter by making its products less competitive, the tariff is paid by the importer, which often passes the extra cost to the consumer.
Trump says talks on the table
Trump, who said on Friday that he was comfortable with tariffs on China, suggested that a deal with Beijing may be to praise President Xi Jinping despite differences on business. But there was no indication that the world’s two largest economies were ready to return.
“The President made very clear,” told reporters on Friday: “When the United States is punched, he will barely punch.”
Trump’s exemption from China tariff
The Trump administration provided exclusion from steep mutual tariffs for large -scale imported smartphones, computers and some other electronics from China, providing a large break to technical firms such as Apple that rely on imported products.
In a notice to Shippers, the US Customs and Border Protection Agency published a list of tariff codes excluded from import taxes on 5:01 am (GMT) on April 5 at 4:01 am (GMT).
It had 20 products categories including all computers, laptops, disc drives and wide 8471 codes for automated data processing. It also included semiconductor equipment, equipment, memory chips and flat panel displays.
The notice did not give any clarification for the move, but late night boycott provides welcome relief to major technology firms such as Apple, Dell Technologies and many other importers.
Trump’s action also excludes the electronics specified from its 10 percent “baseline” tariffs on goods from other countries other than China, which reduces import costs to semi -circulars from Taiwan and apple iPhones produced in India.