The escalation in the tariff battle between the United States and China has taken an unusual turn with the emergence of memes generated by artificial intelligence, used by Chinese officials to mock President Donald Trump.
Tension has escalated following Trump’s decision to raise tariffs on Chinese imports by up to 125%, which prompted an immediate response from Beijing and a wave of satire on social media.
According to a report by Forbes, Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, posted a meme on X showing a MAGA (Make America Great Again) hat with a label reading “Made in China,” which would have increased in price by more than 50% due to the new tariffs. While the official hats are made in the U.S., many imitations come from Asia.
Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, shared another meme that exaggerated the price increase of caps by over 100%, citing an original post from the Chinese social network Rednote.
The satire did not stop there. AI-generated videos circulated on Chinese platforms depicted overweight Americans working in factories, even manufacturing Tesla products, as a parody of the “Commercial Liberation Day” promoted by Trump. One of these videos, which went viral, has amassed nearly 20 million views on X.
Some memes also mock the tariffs imposed by Trump on uninhabited territories like Heard and McDonald Islands, depicting penguins fictitiously protesting against the trade measures.
China's official response included an 84% tariff on American products and a travel warning to the U.S., citing the deterioration of economic relations. "The door to dialogue is open, but it must be based on mutual respect," stated He Yongqian, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce.
Markets have reacted with significant declines. Last Thursday, the Dow Jones dropped 744 points, and major tech companies like Apple and Tesla experienced substantial setbacks. Economists fear that tariff measures could push the U.S. towards a recession.
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