The trade relationship between the United States and China has intensified dramatically in recent days, currently culminating in a chaotic trade war that's affecting many countries and economies like a sledgehammer.

Me with $137 in my pocket worrying about global trade and tariff warspic.twitter.com/hbj5q8NNYT

— Not Jerome Powell (@alifarhat79) April 7, 2025

The conflict has evolved into widespread debate and discourse across social media this week, even causing something of a "China vs. U.S. meme war" about ongoing economic tensions as social media users from their respective countries get in on the action.

Let's unveil part of this tariff war and explore its origins and notable developments so far.

What Is The 'United States and China Trade War'?

The U.S. and China Trade War is a significant development in the ongoing reciprocal tariffs announced by President Donald Trump in early April 2025, escalating an already tense economic rivalry between the two nations.

After President Trump's initial tariffs provoked retaliatory measures from China and its President, Xi Jinping, the conflict escalated unchecked, leading to a series of ever-increasing tariffs from both sides.

The U.S. tariffs, including an extraordinary 104 percent on imports from China, have triggered equivalent responses, resulting in staggering tariffs of 84 percent on imports of U.S. goods.

CNN posted a video covering the events of the U.S.-China trade war in more detail for those who want a bit more of an overview of what's happened so far.

How Did The 'China vs. U.S. Meme' War Start?

In parallel to the heated tariff exchanges between the U.S. and China, various AI-generated videos and images were published on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) accounts that mocked the fat Americans stereotype, gaining viral attention and igniting something of a meme war.

TikTok user @axiang67 posted one of the earliest and most viral examples of an AI video about the tariff war, depicting schlubby Americans working in clothing factories (presumably referencing how Americans will make clothes like the Chinese do following the tariffs), which was later reposted on X on April 7th, 2025, by user @gaborgurbacs.

Chinese memes on American re-industrialization rolling in. lol the music. 😂 pic.twitter.com/GZE2jHDgWZ

— Gabor Gurbacs (@gaborgurbacs) April 7, 2025

Later on, Daily Mail reported that other Chinese accounts jumped on the viral meme exchange, posting AI-generated videos and images mocking the tariffs and American citizens.

Netizens from different countries also joined the trend, as X user @batches_ shared in a post comprised of an AI image of President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance working in a garmet factory.

How Is The 'United States and China Trade War' Being Memed Online?

Social media platforms such as Twitter / X and TikTok have since become flooded with memes and jokes that go from satirical videos to images that poke fun at both American and Chinese citizens amid the unpredictability of the tariff conflict.

Another meme about the topic that garnered attention came from a surely surprising account, the official Twitter / X account of the Russian Embassy in Kenya, which posted a picture of a man smoking object labeled as "Russia" while the U.S., European Union and China flags are below him, seemingly fighting. The tweet was simply captioned, "tariff war."

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For the full history of the 2025 United States and China Trade War, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.