China's "Won't Kneel Down" Video Message To US Over Trump's Tariff

As US President Donald Trump completed 100 days of his second term, China rebuked the American leader's trade war in a fiery video declaring it will "never kneel down" to his trade policies. The video shared by China's Foreign Ministry called on the international community to stand up to America's "bullying".

"The US has stirred up a global tariff storm and deliberately targeted China, playing a '90-day pause' game with other nations, forcing them to limit trade with China. Bowing to a bully is like drinking poison to quench thirst, it only deepens the crisis," China said in the video that has subtitles both in English and Mandarin to amplify the message for a global audience.

Citing instances of what China called the history of American economic aggression, the video said, "The US once accused Japan of dumping semiconductors and crushed companies like Toshiba. Later, it forced Japan to sign the Plaza Accord, pushing the economy into decades of anaemic growth. The US also used "long-arm jurisdiction" as a weapon, breaking up France's industrial giant Alstom, robbing the country of a national champion. 

Never Kneel Down! pic.twitter.com/z8FU3rMSBA

— CHINA MFA Spokesperson 中国外交部发言人 (@MFA_China) April 29, 2025

"History has proven that compromise won't earn you mercy - kneeling only invites more bullying. China won't kneel down," it added. 

Beijing, in contrast, portrayed itself as a free-trade haven and said,  "China won't back down, so the voices of the weak will be heard. When the rest of the world stands together in solidarity, the US is just a small stranded boat."

"Someone has to step forward, torch in hand, to shatter the fog and illuminate the path ahead," it added.

So far, US President Trump has imposed tariffs as high as 145 per cent on imports from China. Other countries are facing a blanket 10 per cent US tariff until July.

The Trump administration last week said that when the new tariffs are added to existing ones, the levies on some Chinese goods could reach 245 per cent.

China has retaliated with a 125 per cent tax on products from the US and vowed to "fight to the end".