Residents of China’s capital city expressed indifference and defiance on Saturday when asked by AFP about the latest threat by US President Donald Trump to impose blistering new tariffs on the country.
On Friday, Trump announced suddenly that the United States would slap additional 100% tariffs on all Chinese imports from November 1 “or sooner”, also calling into question an upcoming meeting with President Xi Jinping.
Chinese authorities have yet to publicly respond on the threat, which Trump said was in retaliation for Beijing’s new export control measures in the strategic rare-earth sector.
The ministries of foreign affairs and commerce did not comment when asked about it by AFP on Saturday.
“I felt nothing when I first saw the news,” said Liu Ming, a 48-year-old employee in a software company, outside a large Beijing shopping mall.
“Trump always has these childlike or capricious policies,” said Liu.
“China isn’t afraid of any US sanctions or policies aimed at limiting us. We have the confidence and ability to do better ourselves.”
‘Great commotion’
Like others interviewed by AFP on the streets of Beijing on Saturday, Liu sees Trump as fickle.
“From the perspective of a Chinese person, he is a bit unreliable,” he said.
“He always goes from this policy to that policy, causing great commotion in the world.
“It is not stable.”
Irene Wang, an insurance worker in her thirties, echoed the sentiment.
“He says one thing today, but maybe after a nap he’ll change his mind again,” joked Wang.
“At his age (79), he should be a little more composed!”
She believes the sky-high tariffs Trump is threatening could backfire.
“For Americans, it could have an impact,” she said, as tariffs on Chinese products could drive up prices in the United States.
As for the potential impact on people living in China, Wang acknowledged she couldn’t completely ignore the news.
“Honestly, it isn’t the first time, so we will have to wait and see how things play out.”
Hoping for ‘normal’
Some residents of the Chinese capital told AFP they expected only a moderate impact on their country’s economy if the trade war with Washington escalates again.
“The import-export sector, especially those businesses, will inevitably be affected to some extent,” said Jesicca Yu, 40.
But “for ordinary people in China, in the immediate future, I don’t think much will change in their daily lives,” she said.
Yu also bemoaned the tense relationship between Beijing and Washington.
“The more peaceful things are, the more economic development can take place,” she said.
“We hope things go back to normal.”
Lisa Liu, a colleague of Yu who is in her thirties, said she saw one good thing in Trump’s unpredictable approach to governing.
“He gives us a lot to talk about at the dinner table,” she said.
