How prepared is China for a new trade war?

Business Daily

BBC

News, Business

4.4 • 796 Ratings

🗓️ 6 May 2025

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

With tariffs of up to 145% on US imports from China, we take a look at how its playing out in the country.

China’s leaders are downplaying the potential impact of the trade war - we speak to Chinese exporters and economists to find out what’s really happening and whether the country’s economy is as resilient as senior officials are saying.

The impact is already being felt in factories - so will the US or China blink first?

Presenter: Will Bain Producer: Josh Martin

(Image: Employees work on a production line of caps that will be exported to the US at a factory in Suqian, in eastern China's Jiangsu province on 7 April 2025. Credit: Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Wilbane and welcome to Business Daily from the BBC World Service.
0:06.4	China has always insisted it was an unwilling participant in the new trade war with the US,
0:11.7	but it's also been clear.
0:14.5	If the US insists on waging the tariffs war and trade war, China will play along to the end.
0:21.7	As we look at the impact a month of tariffs had on China today, we'll hear defiance.
0:28.3	In China, we are not scared. Ordinary people have confidence in our country's economic power.
0:34.7	Reasons for concern.
0:35.8	The unemployment could partially be questioned, but that does not necessarily mean every
0:41.3	single one is going to have a job that is not going to have a pain will be felt across
0:46.1	Chinese industries.
0:47.5	And a warning to American consumers.
0:50.1	In the case of Christmas goods, it means that Trump stole Christmas.
0:53.7	I mean, that's the reality of it.
0:55.1	And we'll try to answer a key question.
0:57.5	Just how ready is China, its companies and its economy, for a Trump trade war 2.0.
1:03.4	We're going to take a look here on Business Daily on the BBC World Zone.
1:09.8	With China, as you know, against my statement, they put a 34% tariff above what their ridiculous
1:18.5	tariffs were already. And I said if that tariff isn't removed by tomorrow at 12 o'clock,
1:24.2	we're putting a 50% tariff on above the tariffs that we put on.
1:29.7	It's one month on since President Trump gave that warning to China.
1:33.4	It was a move which sparked a rapid ramping up of tariffs on each other's exports.
1:37.3	These numbers just keep changing, as you know, and what we've just confirmed from the White House
	...

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