Not so diplomatic? Chinese embassy in Washington takes potshots at Trump’s tariffs and America

WASHINGTON – The Chinese embassy in Washington, DC, is leading from the front in the trade war that is raging between the US and China.

It is unusual for an embassy to be making fun of the host government, yet this is exactly what the Chinese embassy has been doing through a series of memes poking fun at President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The memes quote liberally from his predecessors, both Republican and Democrat, to push back against

the steep tariff of 145 per cent

imposed on goods imported from China.

They also paint the US as a declining power with outdated infrastructure, while contrasting it with China’s own gleaming and modern infrastructure. 

Often sourced from Chinese creators, the memes are aplenty on the embassy’s official Facebook page.

One video clip features a visitor to Trump Tower, the President’s skyscraper in New York City. The woman, whose face is not shown, flips over labels on T-shirts, golf balls and other souvenirs, checking where they were made.  

“You won’t believe how many hidden ‘Made in China’ labels are tucked inside Trump Tower. Take a closer look,” the subtitle to her Mandarin reads. 

Another post features a take on tariffs by internationally syndicated cartoonist Patrick Chappatte, which shows that the price of an iPhone would climb to over US$2,000 (S$2,620) if it were to be made in the US instead of China.

One caricature shows Uncle Sam lying prone on the floor – exhausted and defeated – clobbered by his own tariffs.

Another video shows a pair of rams locking horns, with the one labelled “USA” eventually backing off. “The Chinese people will not provoke troubles, but we never flinch when trouble comes our way,” says the caption on the post.

Many posts target America’s ageing public infrastructure. One clip shows rats scurrying around in a dilapidated, waterlogged US subway station, juxtaposed with the gleaming Chinese metro.

In another post, China’s 6G research is celebrated with milestones like the launching of a 6G test satellite in 2020 while the US is shown as focused on containing China and falling behind. 

The embassy has also dug out archival clips of beloved American presidents to critique Mr Trump’s preoccupation with trade deficits. 

In one instance, it posted a clip from a speech by iconic Republican president Ronald Reagan, who served from 1981 to 1989. The excerpt was from his radio address on Aug 31, 1985, to explain why he believed protectionism would backfire.

“The balance of trade has become a very emotional issue; some claim our trade deficit has cost us millions of jobs. Congress is awash in Bills calling for trade sanctions and retaliation,” said Mr Reagan.

“But look at the facts: In 1980, we had a trade surplus, and about 99 million Americans had jobs. Today we have a trade deficit, and almost 107 million Americans are working. Despite a growing trade deficit, we’ve gained over 7½ million new jobs since 1980.”

What is not quoted is another remark in the same speech where Mr Reagan promised to move vigorously against unfair trading practices, “using every legal recourse available to give American manufacturers a fair shake at home and open markets abroad”.

In another clip, the embassy reaches deeper into the past for a speech made by Democrat idol and former president John F. Kennedy on Nov 16, 1961.

“And we must face the fact that the United States is neither omnipotent nor omniscient, that we are only 6 per cent of the world’s population, that we cannot impose our will upon the other 94 per cent of mankind, that we cannot right every wrong or reverse each adversity, and that therefore, there cannot be an American solution to every world problem,” Mr Kennedy, who served as president from 1961 until his assassination in 1963, is heard saying. 

The context was the Cold War, as the world grappled with the threat of a nuclear conflict amid heightened tensions between the US and the Soviet Union. Mr Kennedy sought to de-escalate tensions and urge the nation to approach world affairs with both resolve and restraint.

“A little humility is in order – even from the world’s superpower,” says the caption on the clip. 

When asked about the aim of such messaging and its target audience, the embassy did not explain.

“We have no comments about the content we posted on Facebook,” Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu told The Straits Times.

“On the tariff issue, our principled position is the same: the tariff hikes were initiated by the US side. It is up to the one who caused the knot to untie it. If the United States genuinely seeks to resolve the issue through dialogue, it should abandon its approach of maximum pressure,” he said.

The US State Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Americans do not see the humour in the situation.

“The CCP seeks to exploit internal divisions in the US,” said Mr Randall Schriver, vice-chairman of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a body established by Congress to investigate the national security implications of America’s economic and trade relationship with China. 

US politicians and analysts often refer to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) instead of “China” to distinguish the ruling party from the Chinese people and nation.

“There are parallels with the CCP’s information operations in Taiwan, its United Front tactics and its cognitive warfare,” Mr Schriver told ST.

Cognitive warfare involves the use of technologies and psychological operations to manipulate perceptions and control narratives in target populations. It has been deployed by China’s United Front Work Department, a network of organisations and individuals, to influence public discussions on sensitive issues like Taiwan, which China claims as its territory.

“It’s important to note that these are postings made in English and made on social media platforms mostly banned in China and thus primarily aimed at audiences outside China,” said Mr Schriver, who served as assistant secretary of defence for Indo-Pacific security affairs in Mr Trump’s first term.

Chinese writings, particularly since the Jan 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riots, have highlighted the fragility of US democracy, the great divisions among Americans, and the general decline of the US, he noted.  

“The CCP views its competition with the US in broad terms, and is very active in the information space.” 

Professor Dennis Wilder, a prominent expert on US-China relations, called the meme effort “unusually undiplomatic and tactless”.

“They may reflect Ambassador Xie Fong’s very real frustration at being unable to establish the channels into the senior levels of the Trump administration that Beijing seeks to deal with the trade war,” said the professor of practice at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

“It will resonate with the Democrat faithful, but that is not exactly going to build pressure on Trump,” said Prof Wilder, who is also a member of the National Committee on US-China Relations, a non-profit educational organisation that encourages cooperation between the two nations.

For several years now, China’s Foreign Ministry and messengers have developed the practice of posting cartoons or animated pictures on social media, noted Mr Zichen Wang, the Chinese author of the Pekingnology newsletter and research fellow at the Centre for China and Globalisation, a leading non-governmental think-tank in Beijing. 

“It’s apparent that they believe these cartoons and pictures showcase the strong resolve and firm stance of China against encirclement and bullying from the US,” he said. 

International readers could best judge their effectiveness, he added.

“The intended message from Beijing is always clear: China will not back down or beg for appeasement. I would urge foreign policymakers to focus on the Chinese message instead of how it is portrayed in pictures.”

Mr Wang, however, noted that no matter how colourful the Chinese content, it does not target senior American leadership, especially the President. 

He called that approach “prudent and wise”.

To drive his point home, the Chinese academic drew on the American political lexicon, quoting former first lady Michelle Obama from the 2016 presidential campaign against Mr Trump.

“If my counsel were sought in China’s official outward communications, I would always advise, as many wiser Chinese experts would agree: ‘When they go low, we go high’.”