"Of course I'm concerned. It's a clash between the largest and second-largest economy," said Shanghai stockbroker Cai Qing, 40. "None of the relevant parties were fully prepared for the trade war. Policies were rushed, including U.S. policies," he added.
"To put it bluntly, Americans have always been so arrogant - they make everyone their manufacturer so they can reap the economic fruit," said Qu Xinjun, who works in the steel industry in Shanghai. "Trump is waging a psychological war with China. He was trying to intimidate China. From a psychological standpoint, we should not worry about the trade war, but rather focus on domestic development," he said. "We should trust our country and the leadership and trust that we can win the war."
"China has to hit back, which could show its great power status. China has to win this match," said Beijing interior decorator Zhang Shiyou, 56.
China has other markets it can look to, and President Xi Jinping's landmark proposal to build a new Silk Road, called the Belt and Road initiative, he said.
"We Chinese should not buy Apple phones. Like the saying 'Buy the nation's products, love China', buying domestic products will boost our own industries."
"A lot of American goods are actually made in China," said Wei Shaochuan, 26, the founder of a tech start-up in China's central Henan province, was interviewed on WeChat.
"But if, after a period of time, the trade war really incites a sense of hatred against the United States, then I will not watch American movies, not listen to American music, not recommend Disney to friends, and start writing social media posts saying that Americans are not good, in order to counter American cultural products," he said.
"I'm a strong supporter of Chinese products. I'm a firm opponent of any American product, especially after reading the news," said Zhao Guoxin, 61, a store owner in Beijing. "The other day I went to this American shop and I told them I won't buy one single thing, and I made them very awkward. To be honest I do think America is pretty obnoxious," he said.
"To be honest, importing from the U.S. isn't our sole route," said Wang Yangqing, a Beijing nurse who said she was in her 20s. "We could also import from European countries. For girls, we use some American skin care products. If tariffs keep rising, I may shift to products from other places such as Japan or Korea."
"China should strike back properly," said Xu Dong, 25, a student in Beijing. "But I won't stop buying their products. Some enterprises like Apple in fact bring in tax revenues and employment. It's a brand that is doing good to China," he said,
"For me it [the trade war] is great!" said Zhu Tao, 34, a ship catering manager in Beijing. "That's because I receive my salary in U.S. dollars and since the U.S.-China trade war started the U.S. dollar has kept increasing in value compared to the yuan. So I think it has really helped me. It's great!"
