How Practitioners Should View the “Tariff War”

(Minghui.org) Since the Trump administration imposed tariffs on about a hundred countries that sell products to the United States, over 70 countries have begun negotiating with the administration, hoping to secure tariff reductions in exchange for reducing their own tariffs on the U.S. In addition, many of these countries have taken measures to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from using them to “launder” the origin of Chinese products (relabeling them as being made in other countries) and establish an alliance with the U.S.

The CCP is the only regime that has constantly attacked Trump and challenged the U.S. This retaliation resulted in significantly higher tariffs being levied on Chinese goods, which increased to 145% as of April 10. This tax will reduce the CCP’s dumping of “Made in China” goods into the U.S.

A War of Values

As I see it, this “tariff war” is actually a war of values. All countries are faced with a choice: Choose the free world that the U.S. represents—or choose the Marxist-Leninist value system represented by the CCP. It’s time for each country to position itself publicly. Over the past 25 years, many countries have cooperated with the CCP and did not publicly denounce its persecution of Falun Dafa. The current situation could be an opportunity for these countries to side with the free world and support traditional values instead of bowing to the totalitarian CCP regime.

Due to censorship, most people in mainland China only hear the Party’s propaganda. They have long accepted the Party’s thinking and incorporated its ideology into their own thought process. These days, many Chinese are discussing Trump’s high tariffs on China, saying the tariffs will make China’s economic situation worse, so they follow the CCP to criticize Trump. While it’s natural for people to worry about how their own lives may be impacted, there are deeper issues to consider.

As Falun Dafa practitioners, we understand that how well a country’s economy does, or whether an individual is wealthy or poor, is the result of their karma and virtue. Over the past 25 years, countless people have added fuel to the flames in the CCP’s persecution of Falun Dafa, either directly or indirectly. By doing this, they might have become accomplices to the persecution and accumulated karma. Having enjoyed decades of increasing wealth, they may now have to face karmic retribution. In times like these, one should reflect on their own actions and how they may have contributed to external events.

But the CCP is different: When something good happens, the CCP claims credit, but when something bad happens, it instinctively shifts the blame to others. In the eyes of the divine, this is morally corrupt behavior. Cultivators are not the only ones who should look inward for the reason when they encounter difficulties. Of course, when we encounter problems, we practitioners do need to look inward: Have we fulfilled our vows to save the world’s people? If we do not calm down and examine ourselves before the great judgment comes, if we do not correct our mistakes and improve ourselves, we won’t gain anything.

Some Chinese citizens haven’t participated in the persecution of Falun Dafa. Some have supported and sympathized with practitioners; some changed after learning the facts and stopped participating in the persecution; and some quit the CCP organizations after hearing about the regime’s brutality and lies. However, those who haven’t committed sins by participating in the persecution may have accrued karma for other reasons, and this karma cannot be eliminated if one just enjoys an easy life. Only by enduring suffering can one eliminate karma.

Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa, wrote in an article in September 2024,

“Then what accounts for this? Here is the reason. The greater universe and the multitudes of systems within it had reached the last phase of the cosmic cycle of Formation, Stasis, Degeneration, and Destruction. And as everything headed for the terrifying prospect of final annihilation and oblivion, the Creator decided to endeavor to save all lives.” (“Why This World Is a Realm of Unknowing”)

Understanding Events as a Dafa Practitioner

As Falun Dafa practitioners, we shouldn’t think about things from an everyday person’s perspective or from a personal, selfish perspective. Instead, we should consider events from Dafa’s perspective and understand them as practitioners.

A mainland Chinese practitioner said that, after watching the news about the tariff increases on China, he felt a little unhappy: If the economic situation in the mainland deteriorates and affects him, what would he do? He even started to complain that the vicious CCP only cares about protecting its own power and will do anything at the expense of the people to realize its ambitions. Taking the pandemic lockdown as an example, the CCP took maintaining its power and competing for world hegemony as its top priority, even if, by doing so, the Chinese people had to return to eating grass and starving to death like in the 1960s.

At first, the practitioner followed everyday people’s thinking and believed that the tariff war mainly affected people in private enterprises outside the government system. This is because people in the government receive fixed salaries and are not afraid of the tariff war. Could the tariff war really contribute to the CCP’s disintegration?

Then the practitioner remembered something Master said:

“Student: When products that are made in China are sold in the U.S., the money will flow to China and be used to persecute Falun Gong students. So I will no longer purchase a product that is made in China. Is my thinking right?

“Master: Of course there’s nothing wrong with that. Aren’t many of our fellow students boycotting them, too? (Teacher laughs) But it appears that when only our students boycott them, the impact isn’t that big. (Teacher laughs) And don’t do that if it’s going to bring you financial hardship. If you buy them owing to life’s necessities, then it doesn’t matter. But if all people in the world could realize what you’ve hit on, it would be terrifying to the evil.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World, Volume VII)

Over the past two-plus decades of persecution, it has been impossible for an individual to stop mainland Chinese products from being sold. But today, the Trump administration’s “tariff war” targeting the CCP could be an effort by the U.S. government to stop buying from China, and it may well be the result of a change in the cosmic climate. By leading many countries to cut ties with the CCP, the U.S. could trigger a sharp decline in the CCP’s economy, making this an important step in ending the CCP and helping to save people who can still be saved.

As to whether this kind of economic warfare could help to disintegrate the CCP, Master has talked about the topic previously:

“Student: A large Western company asked us whether they should stop supporting and investing in China. How should we answer that question?

“Master: I think that at present not many are able to pass up the monetary gains and stop investing in China, but of course it would be best if someone could in fact do that. Here is how I look at it, and I mentioned this in the last lecture: Investing in mainland China and helping the Chinese people become better off and live well isn’t a problem. What I object to is continually sending large amounts of money there while Falun Gong is being persecuted, which gives the vile CCP the ability to persecute Falun Gong. At the peak of its malice, each year it poured a quarter of the country’s Gross Domestic Product into persecuting Falun Gong—such a huge amount! Could it persecute Falun Gong without money? Absolutely not! Today’s Chinese people don’t believe in the vile CCP, and if they weren’t paid by it they definitely wouldn’t do anything for it. They also know that Dafa disciples are good people. Would those bad people do all those things if they weren’t paid?” (“Teachings at the Conference in Los Angeles”)

Historically, the CCP has always been targeted by the divine for annihilation, so it came to the verge of extinction multiple times. It has also been the target of the old forces’ exploitation, so it always survived to continue to be exploited. But this time, the old forces have been cleared out, and only low-level spirits remain to support the CCP, the red dragon. Facing a heavy economic blow, even if it continues to pass the burden on to the Chinese people and leave them to eat grass and tree bark, how much longer will the CCP survive?

Now let’s look at the impact on personal finances. Master has said:

“Student: During this special period of Fa-rectification, some disciples in the United States have lost their jobs due to the economy…

“Master: That’s the old forces’ doing. You should always remember this: I don’t acknowledge any of the interference that’s occurring among Dafa disciples today; all of the things that shouldn’t happen are the old forces’ arrangements. They see your personal cultivation as the first priority. Of course, personal Consummation is the first priority, since there’s nothing more to talk about if you can’t reach Consummation. But today’s Dafa disciples are doing something different from the cultivation ways in every other period in history, and that’s because you are shouldering a greater responsibility that surpasses your personal Consummation. Saving sentient beings and validating the Fa, these far surpass your personal cultivation, they’re even greater things. And that’s something that the old forces can’t handle correctly, and they’re interfering with you. Negate them, and face all of it with the right thoughts!” (“Teachings Given on Lantern Festival Day, 2003”)

In the past, the CCP deceived and exploited the U.S. to fuel its own growth, and now the U.S. has started to fight back. One thing hasn’t changed, however: The CCP’s anti-American propaganda will never stop. Many ordinary people who joined the CCP have recently been affected economically and lost their jobs. Brainwashed by the CCP’s propaganda, they blame the Trump administration instead of the CCP and say that “the tariff war is the United States deliberately preventing us Chinese from living a good life.” This is a typical example of CCP ideology. From lying to shifting the blame for crises and promoting hatred of the United States and Japan, every time the CCP plays these tricks, many ordinary people in China are fooled and stand with the Party, consciously or unconsciously. Even practitioners who do not cultivate diligently may fall into ordinary people’s thinking.

Clarifying Misconceptions

While some mainland practitioners have been able to explain the situation to people in China, those who have not yet fully understood the situation or do not feel well-versed in this topic do not need to bring it up. They can just talk about Dafa and the importance of quitting the CCP organizations. But in order to keep up with the Fa-rectification process, it is better to take some time to think it through.

If someone brings up this topic on their own, we can help them by referring to the following ideas.

First, the essence of the “tariff war” is that the United States no longer wants to collaborate with the CCP. Let’s say you spend thousands of dollars at a convenience store every year, but the store owner hates you, scolds you, tries every possible way to steal from your wallet, and even mistreats your entire family. Would you still be willing to buy things in this store? Most people would go to another store.

The U.S. buys hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods from China every year, but the CCP continuously threatens to destroy the U.S. and dominate the world as long as it has the opportunity. So the current situation was caused by the CCP.

The CCP’s goal is to destroy all non-communist countries. This is clearly stated in the Communist Manifesto. Why would other countries still buy things from the CCP? The real enemy of the Chinese people is the CCP.

Second, why would China grow poorer if the U.S. stops buying Chinese products? China has become richer in the past few decades because the U.S. bought Chinese products, not because of the CCP. Nevertheless, the CCP calls the U.S. its enemy, and the Party’s nature dictates that it will continue to do so as long as the CCP exists. After living through countless disasterous “movements,” the Chinese people should no longer have unrealistic fantasies about the CCP.

Third, why must the products produced in China be sold to the U.S. and not to people in China? The reason is that China does not have the purchasing power. Through heavy taxation and other methods, the CCP takes upwards of 70% of the wealth created by its own people. Coupled with the Party’s corruption and exploitation through high prices for housing, education, and medical care, Chinese people can’t save much money. Even if they do save a little, their assets are not protected.

If China were not ruled by the CCP, the Chinese would not have to rely on the U.S. to buy huge amounts of Chinese products to survive. Today, so many Chinese goods are dumped in the U.S. that it has affected the jobs and independence of Americans. Americans have finally begun to wake up. Fundamentally, the deterioration of China’s economy is caused by the massive karma created by the CCP’s persecution of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and its exploitation of the Chinese people.

Another practitioner said that, whether or not the U.S. started a tariff war, the CCP would never allow lower-class people to get rich. Netizens often refer to lower-class people as cattle and horses (who work hard) and leeks (a vegetable that is easy to grow and can be harvested repeatedly). The lower-class Chinese who are treated as leeks should know that the sickle (the CCP) is the real enemy.

For the Chinese who are better off, it’s important to emphasize that China’s so-called “common prosperity” is a lie. The CCP’s means of stimulating the economy and revitalizing consumption are nothing more than propaganda that provokes excitement. For example, ten years ago, China’s top leaders proposed “expanding domestic demand and establishing a dual circulation of domestic and foreign economies.” In reality, it meant developing real estate, draining the savings of three generations (as buying one home requires a couple and all four parents to empty their wallets). China’s economy has long developed through abnormal means, and it is only a matter of time before the consequences appear. Economic decline in China today is inevitable, and it is the CCP that is responsible.

Summary

While the CCP has long claimed that “man can conquer nature,” major shifts in the world are never determined by man. If higher beings do not consent, a president cannot be elected, nor can he defeat the CCP. In fact, in the so-called economic “boom” in China over the past few decades, many people’s monthly income remains less than 2,000 yuan. Why? Isn’t it caused by the CCP’s corruption, exaggeration, and exploitation? Isn’t it proof that the CCP doesn’t care about the people at the bottom? As long as the Chinese are tied to the CCP, they cannot live good lives, let alone enjoy sustained prosperity.

The current deterioration of China’s economy may be a result of the changes in the cosmic climate. The above are my personal understandings and offered for reference only.