The Chinese embassy mocks the U.S. with a humorous meme about Trump's tariffs; the internet gets ready with popcorn.

Amid the ongoing tariff conflict between Washington and Beijing, China has decided to join the meme game. In response to Trump's peculiar 125% tariff, the Asian country has implemented similar measures against all imports from the United States, accompanied by a humorous touch in the form of memes. The Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council of the People's Republic of China stated that the increase in import taxes is nonsensical and “will end up being a joke in global economic history.” Furthermore, it warned that if the United States imposes more tariffs, “China will ignore it.”

The commission also issued a strong warning about the actions of the Trump administration, asserting that if the country continues to harass China with tariffs, “we will take firm action and fight to the end.” Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made a sarcastic comment about the U.S. harassment: “If you give a bully an inch, he will take a yard.” Mao Ning, another spokesperson from the ministry, evoked a quote from Mao Zedong that said, “The United States intimidates certain countries, preventing them from doing business with us. But America is just a paper tiger. Don’t believe in its stance. A push and it will explode!”

Both nations have come a long way since the 1964 quote, and only time will tell who is truly bluffing. The Chinese embassy in the United States also contributed to the exchange with a meme ridiculing Uncle Sam and Donald Trump. Reactions were swift as affiliated accounts from both countries launched memes, mocking and embarrassing each other. This phenomenon has led the collective imagination to think that, in the future, the next world war could be a confrontation on social media, where casualties would be measured by the number of "likes" and shares, ending the day with everyone back at home.