WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — China sharply rebuked Vice President JD Vance this week after he described U.S. borrowing from “Chinese peasants” to finance imports, inflaming already-tense relations as the Trump administration moves ahead with sweeping new tariffs on Chinese goods.
“It is surprising and sad to hear such ignorant and impolite words from this vice president,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Tuesday, calling Vance’s comments “ignorant and impolite.” The sharp remarks came in response to Vance’s appearance on Fox News, where he criticized what he called a broken global economy. “We borrow money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture,” Vance said. “That is not a recipe for economic prosperity. It’s not a recipe for low prices, and it’s not a recipe for good jobs in the United States of America.”
Beijing’s condemnation adds another flashpoint to the escalating trade conflict between the world’s two largest economies. On Monday, China’s Ministry of Commerce labeled the U.S. approach “blackmail” and vowed to “fight to the end” if the White House imposes more tariffs.
President Donald Trump, who has long championed aggressive trade policies, recently announced a 10% baseline tariff on all imports, coupled with a new system of “reciprocal” duties targeting specific nations. China has borne the brunt of the highest of these tariffs—originally set at 34% and now raised to a staggering 104% after Beijing introduced retaliatory measures on American goods.
Trump’s administration argues the strategy is essential to rebuilding America’s manufacturing base and pushing global supply chains back to U.S. soil. “We’re protecting American factories and resetting the power of our economy,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik said on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday.
But economists are sounding the alarm. A Goldman Sachs report published Monday said the new tariff regime raises the odds of a U.S. recession to 45%, citing the risk of decreased consumer spending and global instability. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon added that the levies could “slow economic growth” and are “likely to increase inflation.”
The financial impact is already evident. Markets reacted with volatility following Trump’s tariff announcement, and analysts warn that rising prices on consumer goods could hit American households hard. The U.S. imported $440 billion worth of goods from China last year, making China the nation’s second-largest supplier after Mexico.
While Trump and his allies portray the tariffs as a corrective measure against decades of what they call unfair trade practices, international leaders and trade partners have criticized the move. They argue it risks upending global supply chains and could backfire on American exporters.
Still, Vance remained unapologetic in his rhetoric, positioning the administration’s hardline stance as a necessary shift away from what he terms the failures of globalism. “The globalist economy has not worked for ordinary Americans,” he said during his Fox News appearance.
As the trade war deepens, and with Beijing signaling its intent to retaliate further, analysts say the conflict could define the economic landscape of Trump’s second term—and reshape U.S.-China relations for years to come.
