China trolls Trump over tariffs as both sides seek ways to limit their impact

President Donald Trump has a new nickname in China: “The Lord of Eternal Tariffs.”

HONG KONG — President Donald Trump has a new nickname in China: “The Lord of Eternal Tariffs.”

Jokes and memes about the tariffs Trump has imposed on Beijing and other U.S. trading partners have been proliferating online in China, embraced by state media seeking to rally the public as well as ordinary internet users bemused by Trump’s policy decisions.

“The Lord of Eternal Tariffs,” which can also be translated as “10,000 Tariff Grandpa,” appeared last week in a report by CCTV, China’s state-run broadcaster, which said Americans were “rising up in arms” against the tariffs amid fears they could harm the U.S. economy.

As the world’s two largest economies appear at an impasse over tariff levels that amount to a mutual embargo — a 145% U.S. levy on Chinese goods, and a 125% Chinese levy on goods from the U.S. —Beijing has been allowing such rhetoric to promote the perception that it has the upper hand over Trump.

China has taken a hard line on the trade dispute, with its Commerce Ministry saying Thursday that the U.S. should revoke all unilateral tariffs against China if it “truly wants to solve the problem.”