China suppliers mock Trump tariffs with deals on TikTok for Nike, Lululemon

BEIJING - TikTok users in the United States are being inundated with videos from Chinese influencers encouraging American buyers to overcome punitive Trump tariffs by buying direct from the “world’s factory” – China.

Mostly filmed at Chinese factories purporting to supply top US brands from Lululemon Athletica to Nike, the influencers aim to “expose” how the vast majority of consumer goods are made in the world’s second-largest economy.

Many of them provide website URLs and contact details for viewers to order directly from these suppliers.

“Why don’t you just contact us and buy from us? You won’t believe the prices we give you,” said one creator selling luxury handbags. 

In another video, TikTok creator @LunaSourcingChina, stands outside a factory she says makes Lululemon yoga leggings for US$5 (S$6.58) to US$6 even though they retail in the US for more than US$100.

“The material and craftsmanship are basically the same,” she says.

Some of the most popular videos – many uploaded in March but gaining traction only in recent days – have been amplified by a video titled “China exposed the truth” with 8.3 million views and 492,000 likes, as at April 14, New York time.

The one that reveals the Chinese supplier to Lululemon garnered 2.6 million views and more than 215,000 likes, while a “How we bypass tariffs” clip had close to one million views and 118,000 likes.

The sheer volume of similarly themed videos in a short period of time points to a popular backlash against US President Donald Trump’s barrage of tariffs, including a 145 per cent levy on China.

While it is unclear how ordering directly from Chinese suppliers would allow consumers to sidestep the tariff – the duty waiver for small parcels that are sent to American homes is also being scrapped from May 2 – the videos speak to the ongoing global reaction to Mr Trump’s tariffs, and the White House narrative that the economic measures are in Americans’ interest.

The flood of posts also reflects the increased effectiveness of Chinese creators to reach into the daily lives of ordinary Americans.

TikTok’s algorithm, and its ability to influence what information millions of US users see, is one of the main driving forces behind US government efforts to force its Chinese owner ByteDance to relinquish control of its international operations.

TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Other Chinese social media apps like Xiaohongshu, or Red Note, have also gained popularity among young US users amid uncertainty around access to TikTok. 

“These posts are much more confrontational and mocking of the US, rather than showing it as a threat,” said Dr Tom Harper, lecturer in Chinese international relations at the University of East London.

They follow a wave of artificial intelligence-generated images depicting Americans working on assembly lines, Mr Harper added.

Some of the videos directly criticise US trade policies and call on American citizens to take action.

“For decades, your government and oligarchs ship your jobs to China, not for diplomacy, not for peace, but to exploit cheap labour and in the process, they hollow out your middle class, crash your working class and told you to be proud while they sold your future for profit,” user @neil778027 says in a video. “Americans, you don’t need a tariff, you need a revolution.”

On April 11, the US announced tariff exemptions on a range of Chinese products including electronics, computers and semiconductors, although it is not known how long these exceptions will apply.

Regardless, they will not affect most of the goods exported by China to the US, including the clothing and accessories produced by Chinese suppliers featured in the TikTok videos.

Many European high-end luxury brands are also featured, but the makers of the videos do not explain why they are featuring European brands in their pushback against the US. 

Another key question raised by the videos is whether the factories have non-disclosure agreements with their international clients, and how the videos will potentially affect longstanding business relationships between brands and their manufacturers. 

Mr Cameron Johnson, senior partner at Shanghai-based consultancy Tidalwave Solutions, who recently visited the Chinese manufacturing hub of Yiwu, sees it as part of a fundamental shift in purchasing practices for China. 

“In the past, you might use a middleman or a trading company to source your products for your deal with quality control or go visit the factory, establish those relationships, and then maybe you would come on occasion,” he told Bloomberg TV. “But now what we’re seeing is just a complete democratisation of sourcing products.” BLOOMBERG