People’s Daily online exhorts China to ‘stab at the heart of the snake’ in response to U.S. tariffs

Xinhua News Agency is in ethno-nationalist myth-making mode, heavily promoting a ceremony paying homage to the ur-ancestor of all Chinese, the Yellow Emperor (黄帝 huángdì).

Meanwhile, the People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s in-house newspaper, has a sober front page (in Chinese), with only one measured story dedicated to the unseemly business of the Chinese response to the proposed Trump tariffs. But the People’s Daily’s web editors have not been nearly so restrained:

“Bravely unsheathe the sword, have the courage to oppose, stab at the heart of the snake” is the title of the top story (in Chinese) on the People’s Daily website. It’s a spirited exhortation for China to respond aggressively to the tariffs proposed by the Trump administration, and to stand firm with the countermeasures announced yesterday. The article does not just argue that Trump’s tariffs are unfair to China, it also cites Western media commentaries to argue that a trade war will hurt America’s “low-income consumers, industrial workers, and farmers…the main supporters of Trump.”  The piece concludes:

We have dignity, self-confidence, and courage. When we hit a hard spot, we cope. We don’t waver in the face of truth. We’ll unsheathe our sword and fight until our final victory.

More on Trump’s tariffs:

• White House tries to tamp down trade war fears as China retaliates / NYT (paywall)
  “White House officials moved quickly on Wednesday to calm fears of a potential trade war with China, saying the administration’s proposed tariffs were a ‘threat’ that would ultimately help, not hurt, the United States economy, hours after China said it would punish American products with similar levies.”

• A US-China trade war would be good for Airbus and American wine drinkers / Quartz
• China signals tough stance on trade as U.S. officials push talks / Reuters

April 7: Live Sinica-996 Podcast in Boston

Join us for a live session of the Sinica and 996 podcasts with Yasheng Huang, Hans Tung, Kaiser Kuo, and Zara Zhang at an event co-hosted by MIT’s Chinese Entrepreneurs Organization. It’s Saturday, April 7, at 7:00 p.m.: Please check this page for details.

April 10-30: FDI events in Shanghai, Beijing, New York, D.C.

On April 10, the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and Rhodium Group will release two studies on foreign direct investment (FDI) flows between the United States and China, as part of the U.S.-China FDI Project. Report launches will take place from April 10 to April 30 in Washington, D.C., Shanghai, Beijing, and New York, featuring presentations from the report authors, followed by panel discussions with legal and business leaders — click through to the relevant city and RSVP to attend.

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