BEIJING • An online fight between a Fox Business Network host and a broadcaster for Chinese state television has garnered over 20 million views on China's popular Sina Weibo micro-blogging site, generating thousands of comments.
Fox's Ms Trish Regan said last week on her show that the United States has no choice but to wage a trade war against China. Ms Liu Xin, a host for state-run channel China Global Television Network, responded on her own prime time opinion programme by saying Ms Regan was acting like a spokesman for President Donald Trump.
Ms Regan then defended herself in an 11-minute clip and tweeted an invitation for a debate to Chinese state television.
"You accuse me of being 'emotional' and not knowing my facts - wrong! You name the time and place, and I'll be there!" she wrote.
Ms Liu responded saying she would get back to her "very soon".
Posts on Weibo about the spat with the hashtag "Fox anchor seeks debate after being called emotional by CCTV" had been viewed more than 20 million times by Friday evening, and prompted about 7,600 comments.
The Global Times, a Chinese tabloid associated with the Communist Party, also weighed in asking: "Do we have a date?"
China has escalated its anti-US discourse since trade talks faltered and Mr Trump blacklisted Huawei Technologies and scores of its affiliates earlier this month in a bid to stymie its access to the US.
Chinese media has run commentaries urging unified resistance to foreign pressure, and a de facto trade war "theme song" was widely shared online.
