China’s Social Media Army Claps Back at Trump’s Trade War—With Humor and Memes
While Chinese leaders prepare to confront former U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war with serious political and economic responses, online, a very different strategy is underway: satire and memes.
As Washington and Beijing continue to trade steep tariffs, Chinese netizens have taken to TikTok and other platforms—often using VPNs—to mock Trump’s policies and point out the irony of Americans criticizing China while heavily relying on Chinese-made goods like phones and sneakers.
One viral Chinese user, “Buddhawangwang,” who lived in California before ditching his green card, has racked up tens of millions of views with videos slamming U.S. policy and defending China against “Western propaganda.”
The memes are cutting: AI-generated videos show Trump and U.S. officials clumsily assembling iPhones or stitching shoes, while others highlight how “Made in China” still dominates—even as U.S. officials wear products sourced from Chinese platforms like Taobao.
“Attacking ‘Made in China’ is work; enjoying ‘Made in China’ is life,” one viral comment joked.
Experts say the content is part nationalistic pride, part pushback against U.S. narratives—but also masks deeper anxieties about how the trade war could affect China’s export-reliant economy. Chinese censors have reportedly scrubbed content that questions the economic fallout, while amplifying hashtags like “America is fighting a trade war while begging for eggs.”
From mocking JD Vance’s “peasants” comment to pointing out the irony of MAGA hats made in China, the message is loud By contrast, the hashtag “America is fighting a trade war while begging for eggs” — a reference to soaring prices for the kitchen staple — was viewed 230 million times.and clear: the internet is fighting this war with wit.
