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Chinese censors appeared to be carefully curating public discussion about the U.S. tariffs that took effect on Wednesday. They promoted criticism of the United States, while seemingly playing down the specifics of how President Trump’s move would effectively increase import taxes on Chinese goods to 104 percent.
On Weibo, a popular social media platform, several hashtags that used the number 104 — such as “104 tariff rate” or “America to impose 104 percent tariff on Chinese goods” — returned an error message that said: “Sorry, the content of this topic is not displayed.”
But other hashtags that focused more squarely on mocking the United States, or on touting China’s strengths, were allowed to trend — and in fact were explicitly initiated by state media. “America is fighting a trade war while begging for eggs” was one popular hashtag started by CCTV, China’s state broadcaster. “China does not provoke trouble but is never afraid of it” was another.
State media outlets adopted a similarly swaggering tone in their coverage. Several opinion pieces in the People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party’s official mouthpiece, declared that China had learned from years of trade frictions to diversify and shore up its economy. “In Chinese people’s genes, we never fear any risks, challenges, difficulties or contradictions, and can regard all kinds of external pressure as the driving force for our own progress,” one piece said.
Other pieces did not directly reference the tariffs but still touted the strengths of the Chinese economy. A front-page article in the People’s Daily laid out steps that the government would take to promote employment for fresh graduates.
Mr. Xi himself has not publicly addressed the new tariffs. But on Wednesday afternoon, Chinese state media published his first public remarks since the latest escalation in the trade war, saying that he had met with his innermost circle of top officials on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The announcement made no direct mention of tariffs. But it said that the conference had been about how China could bolster its ties with neighboring countries and “strengthen industrial and supply chain cooperation,” in the face of “global changes.”
The announcement said Mr. Xi had told the gathered officials that it was important to “focus on building a community of shared future” — one of his hallmark diplomatic slogans.
The message mirrored much of what Chinese state media has said about the trade war: that China is a reliable partner for other countries, unlike the volatile United States. (The reality is more complicated: Neighboring countries have also expressed concerns about excessive Chinese exports hurting their own industries. And China has territorial disputes with many of its neighbors.)
Aside from official media, prominent Weibo influencers also projected self-assurance, saying the trade war was proof that the United States was in decline, or that it was time for China to flex its strength.
“However long they want to fight, we will!” Pang Jiulin, a lawyer in Beijing with more than 10.5 million followers, wrote on the platform. “China’s system means that China really can do whatever it takes, and that those who pay the price in China won’t protest like the large-scale demonstrations in the U.S.”
Though some users described worries about the trade war’s repercussions, voices expressing dissent or concern were generally limited.
It was not clear whether other more negative posts had been censored, or why censors had targeted the hashtags about the 104 statistic in particular. Many individual posts that mentioned the figure were still visible, even as the hashtags themselves were blocked, and they generally expressed confidence about China’s prospects in the trade war.
But the government likely wanted to direct attention away from the specifics of the high tariff rate, because of the severe implications it could have for the Chinese economy, said Ja Ian Chong, a professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.
“I think the CCP may not want to reveal how serious things are,” Professor Chong said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.
The party and China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, “may not have a plan on how to address such complications as yet, so are probably trying to control narratives and direct vitriol toward the U.S. and Trump,” he added.
Siyi Zhao contributed research.
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