China hit US President Donald Trump with his own catchphrase, saying Washington’s escalating trade war with Beijing has not 'has not made America great again' and has damaged the American economy.
China has said that US tariff measures hurt American businesses and ordinary people, which is the complete opposite of Trumps 2016 election slogan, reports rt.com.
"Trump’s tariffs on Chinese goods not only failed to boost the economic growth in the US but caused serious harm to its people," the Chinese government said in a white paper on trade, published on Sunday.
The report said that the measures imposed by Washington make production costs go up, as 'many US manufacturers rely on Chinese raw materials. They also increased domestic prices because the tariffs make it harder to import affordable consumer goods from Beijing.'
This statement was an obvious jab at Donald Trump’s famous campaign slogan and catchphrase.
The words ‘Make America Great Again’, often shortened to ‘MAGA’, appear on much of his merchandise, including the trademark red MAGA hats.
During the election and afterwards, Trump insisted that fighting Beijing’s “unfair” trade policies with tariffs will be one way to make the US “great again.”
Following up on his campaign promises, the president slapped China with tariffs last year. Beijing retaliated by placing duties on a number of US goods.
The nations then held talks over trade but failed to reach an agreement, blaming each other’s negotiation tactics.
China published the white paper just days after Beijing imposed retaliatory tariffs on US goods.
Beijing also announced to create a blacklist of "unreliable" foreign firms and individuals, marking a new escalation in the increasingly acrimonious trade dispute between the US and China.