Chinese language official says U.S. tariff goals to ‘take away Hong Kong’s life’

An individual walks previous the Hong Kong Financial and Commerce Workplace, on April 9, 2025, in New York.
| Picture Credit score: AP

One among China’s high officers overseeing Hong Kong affairs, Xia Baolong, stated on Tuesday (April 15, 2025) that the US’ tariff conflict was “extraordinarily shameless” and goals to “take away Hong Kong’s life”.

Mr. Xia, the director of China’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Workplace beneath the State Council, stated bullying had by no means labored on Chinese language individuals, together with these from Hong Kong.

Mr. 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 are usually not the fitting solution to cope with 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 U.S. items to 125%, hitting again at U.S. President Donald Trump’s resolution to single out the world’s No.2 economic system for successfully elevating tariffs on Chinese language items to 145%.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance stated this month the U.S. borrows and buys from “Chinese language peasants”, remarks that drew condemnation in China.

Hong Kong, a particular administrative area of China, is topic to U.S. tariffs imposed on China as it’s not thought of a separate buying and selling entity by Washington amid a years-long crackdown beneath a sweeping nationwide safety legislation.

Additionally learn | Xi calls on EU to affix China in collectively resisting ‘unilateral bullying’ by U.S.

In contrast to the mainland, Hong Kong, as a world free commerce hub, just isn’t planning to impose any retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. proper now, its chief John Lee stated final week.

Beijing has dismissed the U.S. president’s tariff technique as a “joke.”