Chinese Embassy in US Pokes Fun at Trump's Tariffs and America

Memes Quote Liberally from Past Presidents, Paint US as a Declining Power

- Bhagyashree Garekar

WASHINGTON - The Chinese embassy in Washington, DC, is leading from the front in the trade war that is raging between the US and China.

It is unusual for an embassy to be making fun of the host government, yet this is exactly what the Chinese embassy has been doing through a series of memes poking fun at President Donald Trump's tariffs.

The memes quote liberally from his predecessors, both Republican and Democrat, to push back against the steep tariff of 145 per cent imposed on goods imported from China.

They also paint the US as a declining power with outdated infrastructure, while contrasting it with China's own gleaming and modern infrastructure.

Often sourced from Chinese creators, the memes are aplenty on the embassy's official Facebook page.

One video clip features a visitor to Trump Tower, the President's skyscraper in New York City. The woman, whose face is not shown, flips over labels on T-shirts, golf balls and other souvenirs, checking where they were made.

"You won't believe how many hidden 'Made in China' labels are tucked inside Trump Tower. Take a closer look," the subtitle to her Mandarin post reads.

Another post features a take on tariffs by the internationally syndicated cartoonist Patrick Chappatte, which shows the price of an iPhone would climb to over US$2,000 (S$2,620) if it were to be made in the US instead of China.

One caricature shows Uncle Sam lying prone on the floor - exhausted and defeated - clobbered by his own tariffs.

Another video shows a pair of rams locking horns, with the one labelled "USA" eventually backing off. "The Chinese people will not provoke troubles, but we never flinch when trouble comes our way," says the caption on the post.

Many posts target the US' ageing public infrastructure. One clip shows rats scurrying around in a dilapidated, waterlogged US subway station, juxtaposed with clips of the gleaming Chinese metro.