China's Diplomacy to Trump Reverses to Retalization

China is shifting from diplomacy to retaliation in the face of a trade war with the United States, mobilizing officials and diplomats to respond to President Trump's trade tariffs. This strategy is driven by Communist Party propaganda that stirs the spirit of resistance on social media by quoting Mao Zedong.

This call illustrates China's response to Trump's erratic trade policies, where relevant ministries were ordered to be on full alert and canceled vacation schedules, signaling resistance to the challenge.

US President Donald Trump announced massive tariffs on April 2, the so-called “Liberation Day,” aimed primarily at China. This policy resulted in a freeze in trade relations between the US and China, with China restricting access to US services and entertainment, despite their initial cordial relationship after Trump took office.

The calm period of US-China relations did not last long, especially during the Trump administration. During that period, there were high lines of communication between certain parties, but now such lines are missing, and Beijing officials are confused about who is in charge of the bilateral relationship.

Trump administration officials stated that the US wants to keep communication at a working level, but will not continue a dialog that is not beneficial to national interests. The Chinese ambassador tried to contact Elon Musk, but the attempt failed, and Musk has not responded.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi failed to meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz during his visit to New York, with only one phone call established. An official meeting between the two countries' top diplomats did not take place, despite Wang's previous good communication with Jake Sullivan.

The White House emphasized that if trade talks with China are to take place, top economic officials should be present, not the Secretary of State. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said there had been no communication with China, while Trump expressed his willingness to meet Xi Jinping, whom he called a “friend”, without elaborating on the details of a deal.

US officials reported that they had tried to contact Xi Jinping to negotiate with Trump, but always got a “no.” Experts point out that this negotiation approach is not in line with China's policy, which usually requires technical agreements before summits. Moreover, the way countries negotiate makes China even more reluctant to engage in dialogue.

Most of the cooperation forums between China and the US established in the Biden era, including in the areas of trade, finance, and military, have now been frozen although there is still some communication at the technical level.

China responded to the latest US tariffs with a more mature strategy, including sanctions against 60 US companies and restrictions on rare earth metal exports. These measures are the result of an in-depth analysis of Trump's policies to build a response that can be gradually scaled up.

President Xi Jinping took the aggressive step of announcing tariffs before the US implemented them, which disrupted the US stock market on April 4, coinciding with a national holiday in China. This action was considered an emergency response similar to decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic, carried out without the usual bureaucratic procedures.