After he claimed that America had been borrowing money from” Chinese farmers,” China has called US Vice-President JD Vance “ignorant and inappropriate” and called him “ignorant and unfriendly.”
Foreign government spokesman Lin Jian told reporters on Tuesday that Vance’s remarks were” astonishing and unfortunate,” which had already caused a stir on Chinese social media.
Vance made the remarks on Thursday during a Fox News interview where he defended US President Donald Trump’s taxes, which are already escalating trade tensions between the country’s two largest economy.
The vice-president said,” We borrow cash from Chinese villagers to buy the things those Chinese farmers manufacture.”
On Monday, Trump gave China – one of the world’s largest holders of US Treasury bonds – until Tuesday to scrap its 34% counter tariff or face an additional 50% tax on goods imported into the US.
US companies could be subject to a total rate of 104 % on Chinese imports if Trump complies with his threat, which comes on top of the 20 % tariffs that were already in place in March and the 34 % that were announced last week.
China has declared that it will “fight to the close” and that its actions against Trump are “bullying.”
Lin stated on Tuesday that” China’s place on China-US economic and trade ties has been made very evident.”
Vance’s opinions had already sparked outrage among Taiwanese social media users, some of whom had demanded that he be made to leave the country.
It is truly shameful for Vance to say such things in front of a powerful US federal official, one Weibo users wrote.
” Hillbilly Elegy” is not his narrative, is it? a guide to Vance’s reserve that detailed his upbringing in rural America, wrote another person.
Trump and his supporters have long argued that jobs will be protected and that his price plan will increase the US economy.
But economists have warned that this would cause major disruptions to international supply chains, push up prices for consumers and bode disaster for all trade.
Financial institutions have been warning of the increased risks of a crisis, both domestically and internationally, following the announcement regarding the levies.