Two weeks after Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs evolved into an escalating trade war with China, a sense of rebellious nationalism has been built up in East Asian countries. China’s Foreign Ministry has even shared a historic video clip from former leader Mao Zedong.
“We don’t decide how long this war will last… we will fight until we are fully victorious!”
Speaking from Beijing, the Guardian’s Chinese correspondent, Amy HawkinsI say Helen Pido Political, there is little desire to retreat, but the Chinese economy is not as strong as it once was.
Hawkins explains that while Beijing has diversified its trading partners since his first term as US president, he is seeking to increase domestic consumption of the goods it manufactures, he may be worried about what many in China, including traders in Yiwu, the world’s largest spiral market.
The pair also discusses how trade has been linchpin of US-China relations for decades, and that without it there is a much greater risk of wider conflict.
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