China has strongly criticized U.S. Vice President JD Vance over his recent remarks referring to Chinese people as “peasants.” The comments, made during a Fox News interview last Thursday, have ignited widespread backlash on Chinese social media, with many drawing attention to Vance’s own working-class background.
Speaking on Fox & Friends, Vance defended President Donald Trump’s latest tariffs and denounced what he termed the “globalist economy.”
China Condemns ‘Ignorant and Disrespectful’ Remarks By JD Vance
“What has the globalist economy gotten the United States of America? And the answer is, fundamentally, it’s based on two principles – incurring a huge amount of debt to buy things that other countries make for us,” Vance said. “To make it a little more crystal clear, we borrow money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture.”
The comments prompted a sharp response from Chinese officials. At a regular news briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian expressed dismay at Vance’s characterization.
“It’s both astonishing and lamentable to hear this vice president make such ignorant and disrespectful remarks,” Lin said.
Social Media Uproar in China Against JD Vance
Vance’s remarks quickly gained traction on Chinese social media, where users expressed anger and disbelief. Clips of his interview circulated widely, with many pointing out China’s technological advancements and industrial achievements.
Hu Xijin, the former editor-in-chief of the state-run Global Times, was among those who responded.
“This true ‘peasant’ who came out of rural America seems to have a lack of perspective,” Hu wrote on Weibo, China’s microblogging platform. “Many people are urging him to come and see China for himself.”
A hashtag related to Vance’s remarks soared to the top of Weibo’s trending topics on Monday night, accumulating 140 million views by Tuesday afternoon.
One widely liked comment read, “Look, this is their true face—arrogant and rude as always.” Another user sarcastically noted, “We may be peasants, but we have the world’s best high-speed rail system, the most powerful logistics capabilities, and leading AI, autonomous driving, and drone technologies. Aren’t such peasants quite impressive?”
Vance’s Own ‘Hillbilly’ Background
Critics have also pointed out the irony in Vance’s comments, given his own working-class upbringing, which he detailed in his 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy.
In the book, Vance recounts a childhood marked by poverty, domestic instability, and his mother’s struggles with addiction. His early years were spent partly in Appalachia, a region he described as overlooked by America’s elite. The memoir, published before his political career, gained widespread attention after Trump’s 2016 victory and was seen as a window into the struggles of America’s White working class.
Vance, a former venture capitalist, has since transitioned into politics, aligning closely with Trump’s economic nationalism. However, his latest comments have led to renewed scrutiny of his rhetoric and its global implications.
