If sky-high U.S. tariffs hurt China’s exports, domestic spending will help make up for it, Beijing says. But shoppers were skittish even before the trade war.

China’s latest move: an additional 50 percent tariff on U.S. goods. Neither side wants to look weak by backing down, but a collapse of their trade ties could have profound consequences.

China’s latest move: an additional 50 percent tariff on U.S. goods. Neither side wants to look weak by backing down, but a collapse of their trade ties could have profound consequences.

© Qilai Shen for The New York Times

Faced with economic disruption, Beijing is presenting itself as too powerful to succumb to U.S. pressure. It is also censoring criticism at home.

Faced with economic disruption, Beijing is presenting itself as too powerful to succumb to U.S. pressure and casting itself as a responsible champion of fair trade.

Generations of Chinese, including our columnist, turned to U.S. government-run outlets for an education in democracy, rights and the English language.

Even as China offers itself to nations like Japan as a more reliable partner, its ships are pushing into their neighborhoods — sometimes on the very same day.

Lai Ching-te, the president of Taiwan, may be betting that China’s appetite for retaliation will be limited by Beijing’s interest in containing tensions with the Trump administration.

An Quanzhong, who will spend 13 months behind bars, harassed a resident whom China’s government wanted back home. His conviction was one of several that prosecutors have won against operatives in New York.

Beijing’s leaders are ordering fiscally strapped local governments to spend more to help workers, consumers and businesses.

Xi Jinping wants China to surpass rivals as a tech superpower, undeterred by economic woes or trade wars. Critics ask if this focus neglects struggling citizens.

The judgment was issued in a case brought by the Missouri attorney general. The Chinese government did not respond to the claims in court.

As China’s government worries about the falling birthrate, some private employers have ordered workers to do their part, or else.