Xi claims that “China is not afraid” as Tesla blocks Chinese orders

The trade war triggered by the Trump administration against China has reached a new stage, with a direct speech by Xi Jinping on the subject and the entry of Tesla into play.

For the first time since the beginning of the tariff escalation between China and the United States, President Xi spoke out, stating that China ‘is not afraid’, as Beijing raises its customs duties on American products to 125% in a new episode of the trade war.

China has stated it does not want to exceed 125%, believing a new escalation would be useless. It has also criticized the Trump strategy, based solely on tariffs, seeing it as proof of an intimidation tactic led by a tyrant to force the hand of its trade partners.

‘There are no winners in a trade war, and going against the world will only lead to self-isolation’, said Xi in his first public comments on the situation.

Estimating that it was not necessary to pursue the tariff escalation, Xi stated that he preferred to ‘concentrate on managing its own affairs well’.

From the United States, the company Tesla, led by billionaire Elon Musk, an ally of Trump, seems to be directly affected by the tariff war.

In response, the company stopped taking orders in China for two of its imported models, namely the Model X SUV and the Model S sedan.

According to Reuters, Tesla seems to have even removed the ‘order now’ buttons from its Chinese website, as well as ordering features from its mini-program accessible via the Chinese WeChat application.

Although Elon Musk strongly claims that Tesla is the most ‘American-made’ vehicle, the company remains heavily dependent on foreign suppliers, particularly Chinese ones, for essential components like battery materials. This dependence, combined with trade tensions and controversies surrounding Musk, makes Tesla’s future uncertain, especially given the unpredictable decisions that Donald Trump could make.