HONG KONG: One among China’s high officers overseeing Hong Kong affairs, Xia Baolong, stated on Tuesday (Apr 15) that the US’ tariff battle was “extraordinarily shameless” and goals to “take away Hong Kong’s life”.
Xia, the director of China’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Workplace below the State Council, stated bullying had by no means labored on Chinese language individuals, together with these from Hong Kong.
Xia stated that “let these peasants in the US wail in entrance of the 5,000 years of Chinese language civilisation”.
“The Chinese language individuals don’t trigger hassle, nor are they afraid of hassle. Strain, threats and blackmail aren’t the best option to take care of China,” Xia stated in a televised speech on Hong Kong’s Nationwide Safety Schooling day.
The feedback got here after China hiked its levies on imports of US items to 125 per cent, hitting again at US President Donald Trump’s resolution to single out the world’s No 2 financial system for successfully elevating tariffs on Chinese language items to 145 per cent.
US Vice President JD Vance stated this month the US borrows and buys from “Chinese language peasants”, remarks that drew condemnation in China.
Hong Kong, a particular administrative area of China, is topic to US tariffs imposed on China as it’s not thought of a separate buying and selling entity by Washington amid a years-long crackdown below a sweeping nationwide safety legislation.
In contrast to the mainland, Hong Kong, as a world free commerce hub, just isn’t planning to impose any retaliatory tariffs on the US proper now, its chief John Lee stated final week.
Beijing has dismissed the US president’s tariff technique as a “joke”.
