A writer for the UK paper The Independent avers that if, in the wake of Trump’s new tariffs, the Chinese Communist Party falsely declares itself to be an apostle of free trade, this declaration is plausible. But plausible to whom?
Everything the CCP propagandists say is plausible to somebody or other; the less informed and more predisposed and tractable the attender of the propaganda, the more plausible the propaganda will seem to that person (April 6, 2025).
Politically, the Chinese government can scarcely believe its luck. It has stepped forward as a voice of reason and stability in a chorus of discord to promote the false narrative that it has been a model of good behaviour since it joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on 11 December 2001, a date that seems destined to live in the textbooks as the peak of globalisation.
The Trump tariffs “are a typical act of unilateral bullying”, complained a spokesman for China’s Commerce Ministry.
“This approach disregards the balance of interests achieved through years of multilateral trade negotiations and ignores the fact that the US has long gained substantial profits from international trade,” the spokesman added….
The official news agency, Xinhua, said the tariffs were “a weapon to suppress China’s economy and trade” and told the United States to stop undermining “the legitimate development rights of the Chinese people”.
It would be a mistake to write off Chinese rhetoric. The regime of Xi Jinping is serious and its actions speak louder than words.
Here’s the new thing in China’s post-latest-Trump-tariff propaganda: nothing.
Whenever anybody objects to or seeks to counter CCP bullying, the Party is apt to complain about being bullied and to sternly lecture its victims about the importance of peace and good will among men. So what? We know what the propaganda is. Yes, the regime is serious, very serious. And the Party’s propaganda should be answered. But the flow of it will never cease no matter what the U.S. or anybody else does.
The writer, Michael Sheridan, finds that the United States and China are equal parts inimical to each other, with perhaps the preponderance of the blame going to the United States (my inference from the tone and focus of his piece; Sheridan doesn’t explicitly say so).
“Both Joe Biden and Trump tried to choke the supply of advanced semiconductors to Chinese manufacturers, while China is seeking to choke the supply of raw materials to America’s tech champions. It’s not hard to see how dangerous this could get.” So those two should just stop it.
China first. Zap over to the Zhongnanhai complex, Mr. Sheridan, and alert the CCP honchos there to the danger of their world-endangering.
Also, tell the rest of the world what your alternative to weakening China’s ability to conquer us is: ensure that China’s computers and weaponry are as well-equipped as possible with advanced semiconductors and other high-tech goodies? Is that the point at which, by your calculus, the Chinese government will stand down and leave the rest of the world alone?
Also see:
StoptheCCP: “On Courage: Our Ultimate Weapon Against the Chinese Communist Party”
StoptheCCP: “Beyond U.S. and Chinese Tariffs: Understanding Nontariff Barriers to Trade”
StoptheCCP: “Cutting Off Knowledge of China and Trade Makes Arguments Poorer”
