Calls to boycott American brands like Starbucks and KFC are rapidly spreading across Chinese social media, as patriotic fervour intensifies in response to the United States’ latest tariff hikes. Chinese users on Douyin — the domestic version of TikTok — have taken to the platform in droves, urging citizens to reject US goods and rally behind domestic brands.
“Let the whole nation unite, boycott American brands, not give the US a single cent, support Chinese products, and strengthen our Chinese nation,” one Douyin user declared in a widely shared video.
Criticism also flooded the US embassy’s Weibo account, where netizens accused officials of disabling the comment section following a barrage of anti-American sentiment calling for an end to “American imperialism.”
Hashtags like “This is China’s attitude” have drawn over 950 million views, while others, including “Trump Tower is almost entirely made in China,” also trended.
READ MORE: Trump Puts Global Tariffs on Pause – but Hikes Them for China
Online satire and sarcasm have been central to the digital retaliation. One meme contrasts a past image of a stockbroker analysing market trends with a present-day version watching Donald Trump’s tweets. Others feature AI-generated imagery depicting US leaders like Trump, Elon Musk, and Vice President JD Vance working on Chinese factory lines.
Dr Wang Pan, a China studies expert at the University of New South Wales, said the trade war is fuelling nationalism: “Many are calling to fight the US to the end, and believe firmly that China will prevail this time.”
Sarcasm and Satire Drive a ‘Meme War’
Netizens are not only expressing anger but leveraging sarcasm and humour to mock Washington’s tariff hikes. One of the most widely shared parody videos on Douyin recasts Marvel and DC superheroes as factory workers, accompanied by the patriotic 1950s anthem Our Workers Are Powerful. “Even with superpowers, the West is still playing catch-up in manufacturing,” one user commented.
Other viral content includes:
- Trump AI-generated as a bald, orange-tinted figure in Qing dynasty robes bowing to a Chinese emperor, captioned: “Please reduce the tariffs, Your Majesty.”
- US officials edited into a martial arts drama, pleading for market access in exaggerated slow motion.
These memes have garnered millions of views, with users joking about imposing their own “personal sanctions”—from skipping KFC’s Thursday specials to trading in iPhones. “Whether it’s an international incident or a domestic issue, people often respond with humour — playful, satirical, and exaggerated,” Dr Wang said.
Growing Economic Anxiety Beneath the Humour
While humour dominates the online response, deeper anxieties are emerging among Chinese exporters and small business owners. Many fear the new 145% US tariff could mirror the devastating effects of the 2018 trade war, which reportedly cost 1.9 million jobs in China’s manufacturing sector.
“Sixty per cent of companies here depend on exports. Our goods can’t leave the warehouses anymore,” said one factory owner in Dongguan via a Douyin video.
He described how a Taiwan-funded factory nearby extended its Tomb-sweeping Festival break from one to five days — not for tradition, but due to a lack of orders.
Li Shan, a business owner who exports electric motors, said she sent five messages to a previous US client. “Not a single reply,” she lamented.
National Pride Mixed with Desperation
Despite these hardships, national pride remains strong among many Chinese businesses. Weitu Group, a Chinese manufacturer, summed up the sentiment in a bold Douyin post: “Rather than lower our heads, we’ll lose money selling domestically. We’ll never give in to [the US].”
Dr Wang noted that domestic commentary and influencer messaging reinforce Beijing’s narrative that the US seeks to stifle China’s rise: “These messages are saturated with nationalist sentiment.”
With tensions escalating and supply chains freezing, the Chinese internet has become a battlefield of memes, nationalism, and quiet economic concern — all unfolding under the watchful eyes of both Beijing and Washington.
