The global community was shocked by the trade war declared on April 2, 2025, with China topping the ‘blacklist.’ However, Beijing has another reason to be outraged beyond the economic and trade implications of new U.S. tariffs. Despite Donald Trump expressing respect for his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, the trade tariff chart presented listed Taiwan just a few positions after China. The explicit and official naming of Taiwan as a country in this viral chart did not go unnoticed by political analysts who quickly highlighted the symbolic reference. Was it a deliberate move to send a message to Beijing alongside the tariffs, or a White House blunder? Officially, the U.S. does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state but maintains unofficial diplomatic relations, considering it a key strategic ally in the Indo-Pacific region. In any case, Beijing immediately noticed Washington’s ‘oversight’ and did not hide its irritation. Specifically, the Chinese ambassador to the U.S. posted a strong response on X (formerly Twitter) after Trump’s speech about imposing new punitive tariffs: ‘Taiwan is part of China. We will continue to strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and effort, but we will never allow any room for “Taiwan independence” forces in whatever form.’ Notably, the ambassador did not comment on the tariffs announced by Trump for either China or Taiwan.