President Trump’s tariffs on Chinese goods, now at 20 percent since Tuesday, have lit a fire under Beijing. Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced Wednesday a 7.2 percent boost in military spending for 2025, mirroring last year’s increase, to flex muscle amid tensions with the U.S. and Taiwan. This comes alongside fresh economic stimulus to shield China from what Li calls “changes unseen in a century.”
The military budget hike, unveiled at the National People’s Congress, keeps pace with recent years but falls short of the double-digit jumps seen over the past three decades. Analysts at Radio Free Asia told reporters the real increase could hit 40 percent, hidden in other budgets, showing China’s not bluffing about its readiness to push back.
Li tied the stimulus directly to Trump’s tariffs. “An increasingly complex and severe external environment may exert a greater impact on China in areas such as trade, science, and technology,” he said, addressing lawmakers. He’s banking on more spending to hit a 5 percent growth goal—a target foreign experts call a stretch without major reforms.
China’s not just talking defense. Li promised more cash to juice up an economy battered by Trump’s trade war, aiming to offset export losses. Conservatives see this as Beijing doubling down on a failing system—big surpluses and growth on paper, but weak consumer spending keeps its people strapped.
Trump’s Tuesday night congressional address framed his tariffs as a fentanyl crackdown and a way to make America “rich and great again.” China hit back with 15 percent tariffs on U.S. soybeans, pork, and wheat starting next week, a jab conservatives view as feeble compared to Trump’s hammer. Beijing’s calling it a defense of “rights and interests.”
The military bump isn’t subtle. Li’s announcement fuels frequent air incursions near Taiwan, a pressure tactic on the self-governed island China claims. With Trump cutting Ukraine aid and pushing trade hardball, conservatives see this as Beijing testing America’s resolve—militarily and economically.
China’s growth plan sounds ambitious. Li’s 5 percent target hinges on stimulus, but foreign economists argue it’s smoke and mirrors without restructuring. Consumer spending lags 20 percent below global norms, a gap the Chinese Communist Party won’t close for fear of losing control.
Republicans cheer Trump’s tariffs as a gut punch to China’s predatory trade. They’ve long accused Beijing of leaching American wealth—tech theft, cheap goods, drug flows. Posts on X from Trump’s base call this a “wake-up call” to a regime that’s exploited us too long.
Li’s stimulus is a lifeline, not a fix. China’s trillion-dollar trade surplus masks a hollow core—its people don’t reap the rewards. Conservatives say Trump’s pressure could force Beijing to rethink, or watch its economy buckle under the weight of its own defiance.
America’s heartland stands with Trump. China’s military hike and spending spree won’t intimidate a president who’s already reshaped the game—tariffs on, aid off, focus home. Republicans know this is about more than money—it’s a fight for who runs the world, and they’re betting on Trump.
