China has called US Vice-President JD Vance “ignorant and impolite” after he said America had been borrowing money from “Chinese peasants”.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters on Tuesday that Vance’s comments – which had already caused a stir on Chinese social media – were “surprising and sad”.
Vance made the comments on Thursday, during an interview on Fox News where he defended US President Donald Trump’s tariffs – which are currently fuelling tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
“We borrow money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture,” the vice-president said.
On Monday, Trump gave China – one of the world’s largest holders of US Treasury bonds – until Tuesday to scrap its 34% counter tariff or face an additional 50% tax on goods imported into the US.
If Trump acts on his threat, US companies could face a total rate of 104% on Chinese imports – as it comes on top of 20% tariffs already put in place in March and the 34% announced last week.
China has said it will “fight to the end” as it called Trump’s moves “bullying”.
“China’s position on China-US economic and trade relations has been made very clear,” Lin said on Tuesday.
Vance’s comments had already caused a stir among Chinese social media users, some of whom have called for him to be banned from entering China.
“As a key figure in the US government, it is really shameful for Vance to say such things,” one Weibo user wrote.
“Isn’t his memoir called ‘Hillbilly Elegy’?” wrote another user, a reference to Vance’s book which detailed his upbringing in rural America.