China criticizes JD Vance for referring to Chinese people as "peasants"
Man, oh man, JD Vance sure stirred up a hornet's nest with his recent remarks! In a sit-down with Fox News, the US VP went hard on President Trump's tariff policies and took a swipe at the global economy. And guess who took the brunt of his criticism? The Chinese folks!
"Alright, let me put it crudely," Vance said on "Fox & Friends." He went on to explain, "We borrow dough from Chinese peasants to buy the crap those peasants mass-produce. That ain't a blueprint for economic success."
The Chinese Foreign Ministry clapped back at a press conference. Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian called out Vance's comments as "both shocking and lamentable," emphasizing the ignorance and disrespect behind such remarks.
CNN hasn't heard back from Vance's camp, but if it rains, it pours—clips of Vance's interview spread like wildfire on China's internet, igniting a fierce outcry. This anger turned up the volume on a nation where industrial robots line factory floors, cities sport electric vehicles, and remote villages are connected by high-speed rail.
"This self-proclaimed 'hillbilly,'" Hu Xijin, a former editor for the state-run tabloid Global Times, wrote on microblogging site Weibo, "lacks a broad perspective. Many netizens are urging him to pay China a visit."
By Monday night, the hashtag relating to Vance's remark topped the Weibo trending list, raking in a whopping 140 million views by Tuesday afternoon. One comment, with over 2,900 likes, read, "Look, this is their true nature—rude and arrogant as hell." Another quipped, "We may be peasants, but we've got the world's top high-speed rail system, leading AI, autonomous driving, and drone technologies. Aren't these so-called peasants quite remarkable?"
The criticism doesn't stop at China. Many noted the irony in Vance's comment considering his own working-class background, as highlighted in his 2016 memoir "Hillbilly Elegy." And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the contrast between Vance's empathetic portrayal of marginalized communities in his book and his disdainful remark about Chinese peasants.
All this drama doesn't bode well for US-China relations, which are already on shaky ground due to trade disputes. Vance's remarks could fan fears of a brewing trade war, dampening diplomatic and economic ties between Washington and Beijing. It's a grim reminder of ongoing geopolitical tensions, economic competition, and fragile relations between the two nations.
- JD Vance's comments about Chinese peasants, made during his interview on Fox News, have sparked a fiery response on China's microblogging site Weibo, with many netizens urging him to visit China.
- Hu Xijin, a former editor for the state-run tabloid Global Times, criticized Vance on Weibo, stating that Vance lacks a broad perspective and needs to learn more about China.
- The criticism of JD Vance's remarks extends beyond China, as many have noted the irony in his comments considering his own working-class background, as highlighted in his 2016 memoir "Hillbilly Elegy."
