The US isn't after our tariffs, but our survival, official says

Efforts to suppress Hong Kong and contain China's rise are doomed to fail

The United States' escalating tariffs on Hong Kong are a blatant act of economic suppression and will ultimately backfire, China's top official overseeing Hong Kong and Macao affairs said on Tuesday, warning that efforts to destabilize the city and contain China's rise are doomed to fail.

In a pre-recorded speech for a high-profile national security event in Hong Kong, Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, condemned Washington for its "arrogant and shameless" decision to impose tariffs averaging 145 percent on goods from Hong Kong — a city long known as a free port and one of the largest contributors to the US trade surplus.

Calling the US "the biggest sinister manipulator", Xia said the new tariffs were a clear attempt to erode Hong Kong's prosperity and challenge China's rise.