Netizens Chastise Chinese State Media for “Mocking Your Own People” in Trade War Responses

Netizens Chastise Chinese State Media for “Mocking Your Own People” in Trade War Responses

The first reaction by China’s state media apparatus following the Trump administration’s escalating trade war last week was to censor online commentary about the scale of tariffs. Now, it has responded with targeted messaging intended to not only rally the Chinese public around a nationalist defense, but also demoralize the American public about the costs of economic decoupling from China. The Economist summarized this shift with a headline on W…