'The surest way to destroy...': China fires back at Trump’s tariffs, quotes Reagan’s warning

China cites Reagan to counter Trump’s escalating US tariff war.

The US-China tariff war continues to escalate, with China now invoking former US President Ronald Reagan in its latest response to President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade measures.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning posted a video on X featuring a 1987 radio address by Reagan, in which he warned of the dangers of protectionism. In the clip, Reagan says, “The surest way to destroy those jobs and throw Americans out of work is to start a #tradewar.” Mao captioned the post with Reagan's quote.

The surest way to destroy those jobs and throw Americans out of work is to start a #tradewar. Ronald Reagan, 1985 pic.twitter.com/9yAtc5Rx7s Mao Ning (@SpoxCHN_MaoNing) April 13, 2025

The public message comes amid rising tensions between the world’s two largest economies. US President Trump announced a dramatic increase in tariffs on Chinese goods, labelling them “reciprocal tariffs.” The US raised its existing 10 per cent tariffs to 104 per cent. In retaliation, Beijing hiked its tariffs to 84 per cent—up from the previously planned 34 per cent.

The tit-for-tat measures mark a sharp intensification of the long-standing trade conflict, with both nations turning to steep duties as leverage in an increasingly confrontational economic rivalry.

On April 9, Trump briefly paused tariffs on imports from all countries for 90 days, but notably excluded China from the relief. Instead, Chinese goods now face an even steeper 125 per cent tariff, signalling Washington’s intent to isolate and economically pressure Beijing further.

China warned of long-term global consequences if the dispute is allowed to spiral. While Beijing continues to project defiance, the rare use of a former US president's words reflects an effort to undermine the Trump administration’s rationale using America’s own historical narrative.