No matter how much the Trump administration enjoys attacking China, it’s hard to knock their supposed adversary down, unless the Americans stop shopping totally. That includes luxury bags

It was bad when the Americans announced exactly two weeks ago the tariffs that they gleefully whacked on their trading partners. It was a shocker of a revelation around the world that “Liberation Day”. But things got progressively worse, whether any American was liberated or not. The flip-flopping, for one. But perhaps none more abhorrent than JD Vance belittling the Chinese, now slapped with the highest tariffs among those who were targeted by Donald Trump’s bewildering trade policies too. Mr Vance, in an interview with Fox News that was aired last week, delightfully took a dig at China and the Chinese people. “We borrow money,” he asserted, “from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture.”

Just like his party mates, Mr Vance prefers to abandon decency in public discourse to defend his boss’s aggressive approach to world trade. Their desire to wear only suits in the White House to show that they want to be taken seriously and to make a positive impression is no indication that they are partial to dignified speech. Mr Vance’s desire to express a strong opinion on Fox News is understandable, but behaving as if he is alien to decorum is beyond the ken of most people. The Chinese did not hit out at the Americans’ social standing, so it was curious that Mr Vance did. When the invective came out of his mouth, it was dripping with irony. It was he who titled his autobiography Hillbilly Elegy, yet he did not regard himself a boorish yokel. Rather, he skewed it as examination of the complexities of cultural identity. And when it involved the culture of others, there is only one identity: uncultured.

It was he who titled his autobiography Hillbilly Elegy, yet he did not regard himself a country bumpkin. Rather, he skewed it as examination of the complexities of cultural identity. And when it involves the culture of others, there is only one identity: uncultured

The Chinese immediately noted the VP’s hypocrisy, but most were not overly offended by it. Initially, not everyone understood what “peasant” meant. Through social media and the local news, the Chinese translation was largely 乡巴佬 (xiangbalao) or provincial hick. While the expression is considered derogatory, it is so infrequently used these days that few thought it was worth taking offence. Then there is the other less unflattering 农民工 (nongmingong), which refers to farmers who chose to work in the city. Or the mild 庄稼汉 (zhuangjiahan)—simply, farmer, someone who sows grain. The last was, to many, the least offensive. There are those who even declared that, as decendants of the many in the past who tilled the land, there is no shame in being called a peasant. The Chinese are happy to be associated with their mighty agrarian past.

The Chinese response has been measured. They have not resorted to reciprocal (kindly overlook the Trumpian word!) name-calling. But reacted they did, although in ways you would not have expected. Those whose trade are affected by Trump’s aggressive tariffs hit back by speaking directly to consumers in the U.S., sharing short videos, delivered in English, on TikTok to explain to American consumers how the global market—namely bags and clothing—works. They are told that many European (and American) clothing, handbags, and accessories originate from Chinese factories. Some of them even reveal the sources of the fabrics and trims used, as well as the manufacturers of bags and such. American TikTok viewers are coaxed to buy “good products from the source” without middlemen “making a profit from the (price) difference.” One sprightly lady, whose posts have gone viral, even shared that the company she works for is able to arrange shipping to other countries at attractive prices.

TikToker “Wang Sen” providing trade information that pointed to the manufacturing providence of luxury bags. Screen shot: senbag2/TikTok

One of the most viewed and shared (even making it into the reports of news sites) is a TikToker who goes by the handle “Wang Sen”. His TikTok accounts have been renamed continuously because, as Mr Wang asserted, they were “permanently banned” by TikTok for the (unverified) reveals he made and continues to make. Or, as he said, he “spilled too much tea” and shared too much “inconvenient information about the cost of the bags”. In one that caught the attention of many Americans, who have been sharing and resharing the post, Mr Wang declared that “more than 80 percent of the luxury bags in the world are made in China, but those luxury brands won’t acknowledge that”. For more than a decade, rumours have been circulating that some luxury bags are at least partially produced in 大陆 (dalu) or the mainland. According to Mr Wang, the brands take the “almost finished” bags from Chinese factories and bring them back to their respective counties and finish them. The items are then hot stamped with made in wherever the brand comes from.

Regardless of whether the assertions are true, Mr Wang and other key players of the industry are more eager than ever to flex China’s manufacturing muscle. “For over three decades,” Mr Wang declared, “we’ve been the OEM (original equipment maker) of some of the biggest names,” seeming unconcerned with whatever non-disclosure clauses that might be in his contracts. Rapidly, that video aroused more interest in the production transparency of luxury brands, such as those of Dior, already affected by the case in Italy regarding their suppliers there. In all of his reels, Mr Wang sounded helpful, speaking in rather fluent salesmen’s English. Not once did he allow choice words such as “peasants” or those of Donald Trump’s, as he recently described the meetings between the head of states of China and Vietnam: “they’re trying to figure out, ‘how do we screw the United States of America?’” The Chinese bag makers did not have to go that far.

Illustration: Just So