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Residents of Beijing responded with apathy and resilience Saturday when asked by AFP about U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threats to escalate tariffs on China. Trump declared unexpectedly that the U.S. would impose an additional 100% tariff on all Chinese imports starting November 1, or even earlier, raising doubts about a scheduled meeting with President Xi Jinping.
Chinese officials have yet to publicly comment on Trump’s warning, which he claimed was a response to China’s new export restrictions in the critical rare-earths sector. The foreign affairs and commerce ministries declined to comment when approached by AFP.
“I didn’t feel anything when I saw the news,” said Liu Ming, a 48-year-old software company employee outside a major Beijing shopping mall. “Trump always has these childish or unpredictable policies.”
“China isn’t afraid of U.S. sanctions or policies that aim to restrict us,” Liu added. “We’re confident and capable of doing better ourselves.”
Many Beijing locals viewed Trump’s unpredictability as typical. Liu remarked, “From a Chinese standpoint, he’s somewhat unreliable. His shifting policies create chaos globally. It’s unstable.”
Irene Wang, in her thirties and working in insurance, echoed this sentiment with humor: “He says one thing today, then maybe changes his mind after a nap. At 79, he should be a bit more calm!”
Wang predicts these threats could backfire, possibly affecting Americans by raising the prices of Chinese goods. She acknowledged, however, that she couldn’t entirely disregard the situation, adding, “Honestly, this isn’t unprecedented. We’ll see how things unfold.”
Some Beijing residents believe any economic impact from renewed trade tensions would be moderate. Jessica Yu, 40, said, “The import-export sector will be affected, but for everyday people in China, there probably won’t be much change soon.” She expressed hope for diplomatic calm: “The more peaceful the relationship, the better the economic growth. We want things to return to normal.”
Her colleague, Lisa Liu, in her thirties, found a silver lining in Trump’s unpredictable leadership: “It gives us plenty to talk about at dinner.”
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