JD Vance: Beijing calls US VP 'ignorant' over 'Chinese peasants' remark

The sharp rhetoric comes as Donald Trump's tariffs fuel trade tensions between the US and China.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersBeijing calls Vance 'ignorant' over 'Chinese peasants' remark3 hours agoShareSaveKoh EweBBC NewsShareSaveGetty ImagesBeijing has criticised Vance for his 'Chinese peasants' remarkChina has called US Vice-President JD Vance "ignorant and impolite" after he said America had been borrowing money from "Chinese peasants".

Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters on Tuesday that Vance's comments - which had already caused a stir on Chinese social media - were "surprising and sad".

Vance made the comments on Thursday, during an interview on Fox News where he defended US President Donald Trump's tariffs - which are currently fuelling tensions between the world's two largest economies.

"We borrow money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture," the vice-president said.

On Monday, Trump gave China - one of the world's largest holders of US Treasury bonds - until Tuesday to scrap its 34% counter tariff or face an additional 50% tax on goods imported into the US.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20zd4k6d36o

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