Chinese media has clapped back at US President Donald Trump’s statement that he was going to get China to stop buying Russian oil, stating that Trump can’t command Beijing. The article slamming the US appeared in Chinese media ‘Sohu’, which said that Trump’s pressure tactic on China wouldn’t work.
A few days back, while claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to cut down on Russian oil, President Donald Trump said: “So I was not happy that India was buying oil, and he (Modi)assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia,” Trump told reporters during a White House event. That’s a big step. Now we’re going to get China to do the same thing.”
However, Trump’s statement drew condemnation in China, with its foreign minister stating that the country opposed the US attempt to impose “long-arm jurisdiction” on Beijing.
Soon after, Sohu published a scathing remark about Trump in an article. “What Washington fears most now is not that China is buying Russian oil, but that China is daring to 'buy it brazenly.' This sends a message: under US pressure, China no longer cares about such threats," Russian media quoted Sohu.
Though Sohu is not a state media, the media ecosystem in China is heavily state-controlled and the tone is reflective of the government's stance,
Accusing the US of “unilateral bullying and economic coercion”, Sohu said Trump wanted to show voters that he can force China to make concessions.
“But China is no longer playing such games. What's even more ironic is that the US still imposes its so-called "sense of morality" on the outside world. They say that buying Russian oil is "conflict financing." This raises the question: what else could the US use to pressure China – tariffs or sanctions? Perhaps diplomatic isolation? But China has been through this before,” it added.
In a warning to Washington, the article Sohu read: “You can call Modi or threaten Tokyo, but you can't command Beijing. Times have changed, and therein lies the truest irony of fate. The global economy is no longer a theater of US warfare. Every time China makes a choice, it changes the rules of the game. Trump wants the whole world to dance to his rhythm, but China already has its own tune. And this tune is getting louder and louder," they said.