section_path: Reactions/In China
section_name: In China
paragraph_text: In China
  
  Mainland Chinese politicians and economists have been divided over the trade war. An August 2019 article in NPR said that while some in the PRC leadership argued for a quick resolution to the trade war in order to save China's economy, others said that the country should push back against the United States and avoid an agreement at all costs. The Chinese government characterizes the U.S. side as infringing on Chinese national sovereignty through demanding structural changes to China's economic system.: 163 The Chinese public was generally surprised by the beginning of the trade war, according to academic Lin Mao.: 305
  
  In July 2018, academic Xu Zhangrun said that the trade war revealed underlying weaknesses in the Chinese political system and criticized Chinese leader Xi Jinping for his "overweening pride" and "vanity politics."
  
  In August 2018, Hong Kong-based academic Willy Lam said that the trade war had galvanized all the previous misgivings which different countries in the West had toward China and undermined Chinese leader Xi Jinping's authority. Zhang Baohui, a political science professor at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, similarly said that the trade war had been effective in challenging the myth of Chinese invincibility, saying that the tariffs "really hurt China at a very bad time, when the economy is experiencing serious trouble."
  
  Economist Sheng Hong, director of the defunct think tank Unirule Institute of Economics, said that it would be good if China yielded to America's request for fair trade, arguing that the "China model" of state capitalism was incompatible with its policies of market reforms and damaging China's economy. Amidst the closure Unirule after Hong was accused of threatening of state security, Hong likened Beijing's inability to brook internal criticism to "riding in a car with a filthy windshield."
  
  A December 2018 journal article published by two Chinese academics said that in the worst-case scenario of the trade war, China would suffer a 1.1% decrease in employment and a 1% GDP loss, which they said were not negligible, but manageable for China. Another paper published in February 2018 by Chinese academics similarly concluded that whereas the United States would experience large social welfare losses as a result of the trade war, China may lose or gain slightly depending on the effect of trade war on the U.S.–China trade balance.
  
  In September 2019, Lu Xiang, an analyst at the state-backed Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, expressed pessimism about the outcome of upcoming talks, called Trump "unpredictable", and said, "We can only try to find sensible clues in his nonsense."
  
  Domestic reporting on the trade war is censored in China. While news outlets are permitted to report on the conflict, their coverage is subject to restrictions; the South China Morning Post said that employees for Chinese media were told not to "over-report" the trade war while an article in The New York Times said that state news outlets had sought to promote the official line, with the authorities restricting the use of the phrase "trade war." Social media posts about the conflict are subject to censorship as well.
  
  The trade war is a common subject on Chinese social media, with one popular Internet meme referencing Thanos, a villain from Marvel Comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe who wipes out half of all life in the universe using the Infinity Gauntlet, joking that Trump will similarly wipe out half of China's investors.
  
  Hong Kong economics professor Lawrence J. Lau argues that a major cause of the trade war is the growing battle between China and the U.S. for global economic and technological dominance. He argues, "It is also a reflection of the rise of populism, isolationism, nationalism and protectionism almost everywhere in the world, including in the US."
  
  In mid-2021, Taoran Notes, a social media account associated with the state-run Economic Daily, advised Chinese decision-makers to remain calm and recommended that both sides develop a deeper understanding of each other's perspectives. Taoran Notes said that the two countries had chosen "the path of cooperation that seeks common ground while reserving differences".
  
  People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, has stated that China will be able to withstand the trade war, and that Trump's policies are affecting American consumers. Some online discussions in China, especially commentary suggesting negative impacts to the national economy and particular companies, have been widely censored.
  
  After the signing of the Phase One agreement, the Chinese Communist Party tabloid Global Times published a series of articles reflecting on the trade war.: 328 According to the Global Times, the trade war had made Chinese people more mature and confident and the country proved it had political and economic institutions strong enough to defend its interests.: 329 In the view of the Global Times, China had not made too many concessions as part of the Phase One agreement.: 329 While China agreed to buy more from the United States, these were not forced purchases and China could make purchases based on its own needs.: 329 The structural changes China agreed to regarding intellectual property protections and opening more economic sectors to foreign investment would, according to the Global Times, ultimately serve China's needs to further deepen its reforms.: 329
  
  On April 15, 2025, Xia Baolong, director of the Central Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, said in a video on Hong Kong National Security Education Day that Hong Kong is the largest source of the United States' trade surplus, but the United States imposes high tariffs on Hong Kong. "This makes it clearer to the world that the US cannot tolerate Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability, and it is the biggest sinister manipulator undermining human rights, freedom, the rule of law, prosperity and stability in Hong Kong", he said."it is extremely naive to think that peace, respect and development can be achieved by flattering, yielding or pl eading with the United States. The so-called sanctions and reciprocal tariffs by the United States cannot shake the determination and will of the central government and the Hong Kong SAR government. The 1.4 billion Chinese people, including our Hong Kong compatriots, will not be intimidated. It will only make us more united and more determined to safeguard national security and Hong Kong's prosperity and stability," he added.