China Censors Tariff-Related Posts on Social Media

Hashtags and searches for ’tariff‘ or the number ’104' were mostly blocked on social media platform Weibo, with pages showing an error message.

Icons of WeChat and Weibo apps are seen on a smartphone in a file photo. Petar Kujundzic/Reuters

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began censoring some tariff-related content on social media platforms on April 9 after higher U.S. tariff rates kicked in, including 104 percent duties on Chinese goods, which were further increased to 125 percent the same day.

Social media posts criticizing the United States were top hits.

Hashtags and searches for “tariff” or the number “104” were mostly blocked on social media platform Weibo, with pages showing an error message.

Negative posts about the United States, particularly those mentioning an egg shortage, were among the most viewed on Weibo. State broadcaster CCTV even started a hashtag “#UShastradewarandaneggshortage.”

The United States is “waving the tariff stick in a high profile manner, imposing tariffs on EU steel and aluminum products... but also writing letters to European countries in a low voice, urgently asking for eggs,” state-run outlet CCTV wrote in a post on Weibo.

The censorship extended to WeChat, where a wide range of posts from Chinese companies that highlighted the negative impact of the U.S. tariffs were simply taken down by the platform.

The censored posts were all marked by the blanket label that the “content was suspected of violating relevant laws, regulations, and policies.”

Chinese internet censors have permitted a surge of posts mocking the United States on social media, portraying it as an irresponsible global trade partner. Meanwhile, the CCP is positioning itself for a broader trade confrontation with the world’s largest economy.

The internet in China is closely guarded by the CCP’s “Great Firewall,” an information arbiter designed to censor content considered harmful to national interests. Major foreign social media platforms including Instagram and X are blocked, as domestic alternatives operate strictly monitored under the CCP.

Beijing lawyer Pang Jiulin, who has more than 10.5 million followers on his Weibo account, echoed a Tuesday statement from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce that said the U.S. tariffs leave China no choice but to “fight to the end.”

“If China also increases tariffs to 104 percent ... Chinese will pay a greater price for their favorite American goods,” Pang said.

He argued that if Americans stopped buying Chinese-made goods, those exports would quickly be replaced by countries such as Vietnam and India.

Beijing announced counter-tariffs on the United States last week and has vowed to fight what it considers “blackmail.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on April 8 called China’s decision to escalate the tariffs a “big mistake”. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the CCP’s decision to escalate the tariffs a “big mistake” in light of the United States’s enormous trade deficit with the Asian nation.

According to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade, China imported about $165 billion from the United States in 2023, while it exported $501 billion to the U.S. market—more than three times as much.

Chinese stocks dropped on Monday with the Shanghai Composite Index down 7 percent, its worst day in five years, but it closed higher on Wednesday, encouraged by state pledges to support local markets.

Analysts have warned that the tariffs will pose a huge challenge to China’s economy, burdened by an enduring property crisis and reduced consumer spending. Tariffs are expected to further squeeze already thin profit margins, potentially driving companies to relocate their supply chains out of China.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News