Senior official lashes out at sanctions aimed at undermining city’s prosperity

Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xia Baolong lashed out at sanctions and tariffs imposed by the United States targeting the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region while delivering a video speech on the 10th National Security Education Day, calling Washington the “biggest sinister manipulator” attempting to undermine the prosperity of the city and contain China’s rise.

Xia, who is also director the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, denounced the recent US imposition of 145 percent tariffs on Hong Kong — a longtime zero-tariff free port and the US’ largest source of trade surplus — as “extremely arrogant and shameless”.

He characterized the measures as acts of desperation targeting not just Hong Kong’s economy but its very survival and warned that US suppression would only backfire, hastening the demise of its proxies in Hong Kong.

READ MORE: US slammed for further imposition of tariffs on HK products

Moreover, Xia stressed that the idea among external forces of returning China to poverty is “nothing but a pipe dream”.

“Let those American peasants wail before the 5,000-year-old civilization of the Chinese nation,” Xia said, hitting back with the same wording used by US Vice-President James David Vance in a recent interview, in which the US number two official claimed America had been borrowing money from “Chinese peasants”.

Citing China’s rise as the world’s second-largest economy and top industrial power, Xia vowed unwavering resistance to trade pressures. “Whether it is a tariff war, trade wars, or any other kind of war, we have nothing to fear — the sky will not fall,” he said.

Drawing on historical parallels, Xia said that to deal with aggressors, it is necessary to speak in a language they understand.

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“This meant fighting war with war, stopping violence with force, and winning peace and respect through victory,” he added.

Echoing Xia’s defiance, HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu emphasized Hong Kong’s commitment to its free port status, calling US tariffs a breach of global trade rules.

“The correct reciprocal tariff should be zero,” he said, accusing the US of undermining globalization with its “bullying tactics”.

READ MORE: Officials, experts downplay US tariffs’ impact on Hong Kong

Lee outlined Hong Kong’s strategy to counter US pressure, including strengthening ties with the Chinese mainland, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the Middle East; leveraging its role as a “super-connector” for finance and innovation; and boosting competitiveness through industrial upgrades and tech advancements.

Lee added that Hong Kong sees both risks and opportunities amid the reshaped global trade order, and expressed confidence in the city’s resilience.

“We will ride the waves and emerge stronger,” he said.

Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com