Xi Jinping: A Year in the Headlines
China’s leader maintained a commanding lead in the headlines of the CCP’s flagship People’s Daily in 2025, despite a substantial decline over the past year. What do these mixed signals mean?
Chinese Ambassador Publishes Anti-U.S. Tariff Op-Ed
On April 30, 2025, Chinese Ambassador to Portugal Zhao Bentang (趙本堂) published a signed article in the Portuguese newspaper Diário de Notícias promoting Beijing’s position against US trade policy. The op-ed characterized American reciprocal tariffs as “hegemonic bullying” (強權霸凌) following Trump’s April 2 announcement of sweeping global tariffs. Trump initially imposed a 34 percent rate on Chinese goods, which later escalated to 145 percent through tit-for-tat retaliation. Citing Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel’s March visit to Beijing and quoting Xi Jinping, Zhao argued China was defending its rights and international fairness while casting the US as the aggressor.
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