Backlash In Beijing: China Slams U.S. Vice President JD Vance Over "Peasants" Remark

 

China has sharply criticized U.S. Vice President JD Vance following his recent comments describing Chinese citizens as “peasants,” a remark that has ignited widespread anger and mockery across Chinese social media.

During a Fox News interview last Thursday, Vance defended the Trump administration’s economic policies, particularly tariffs aimed at China, and took aim at globalization.

“What has the globalist economy gotten the United States of America?” he asked. “We borrow money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture.”

The comment quickly spread on China’s internet, sparking fierce backlash. At a regular press conference Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian denounced Vance’s remarks as “astonishing and lamentable,” calling them “ignorant and disrespectful.”

Chinese netizens were equally unforgiving. Video clips of Vance’s interview circulated widely, prompting outrage in a country that prides itself on high-tech innovation, industrial might, and global infrastructure leadership. A Weibo hashtag related to Vance’s comments became the platform’s top trending topic Monday night, amassing over 140 million views by the next day.

“This true ‘peasant’ from rural America seems to lack basic perspective,” wrote Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the state-affiliated Global Times, on Weibo. “Many are urging him to come see China for himself.”

One widely-liked comment sarcastically responded: “We may be peasants, but we have the world’s best high-speed rail, top-tier logistics, and leading AI and drone technology. Pretty impressive peasants, wouldn’t you say?”

The controversy also reignited conversation about Vance’s own background. His memoir Hillbilly Elegy, which recounts his difficult childhood in rural Appalachia marked by poverty and family turmoil, was hailed as a lens into the struggles of America’s working class. Ironically, that same upbringing has now been weaponized against him online, with users pointing out the hypocrisy of his condescension toward others with modest origins.

Vance, once a venture capitalist, gained national prominence with the book’s release in 2016, which coincided with Donald Trump’s rise to the presidency. The memoir painted a vivid picture of forgotten communities in America’s Rust Belt—people many now feel Vance is unfairly comparing to the very workers he disparaged in China.

While Vance has not issued a public statement addressing the backlash, the incident underscores how language and tone in global politics can quickly escalate tensions—especially when aimed at a rising power deeply proud of its technological and economic progress.