In 2019, President Trump posed a provocative question on social media: "Who is our bigger enemy, Jay Powell or Chairman Xi?"While seemingly aimed at Federal Reserve Chair Powell, the jab struck a deeper chord in China by inflicting a "loss of face" — a serious cultural affront. In Chinese culture, "face" isn't simply about personal pride; it embodies dignity, honor, and collective reputation. Ignoring this concept, as Trump often did, risks diplomatic fallout that far outweighs tariff disputes.

Amid escalating trade and diplomatic tensions, one often overlooked dimension is the role of social dynamics in international relations. "Face" is a critical, though rarely analyzed, element in how nations like China navigate external challenges. In the ongoing U.S.-China trade war, the face-saving imperative doesn’t just complicate negotiations; it entrenches a cycle of hardened positions, mutual insults, and retaliations.

Understanding China’s face culture requires a constructivist lens, like that proposed by Alexander Wendt, who emphasized that identity and interests are not fixed but constructed through social interactions. "Face" (mianzi) isn't purely internal; it depends on how others recognize and validate one's identity. When China perceives its face under threat — as it did under Trump’s repeated public disparagement of Xi Jinping — it feels compelled to respond assertively, to reassert its status and "save face."

In today’s China, where Xi’s thought is enshrined in the Constitution and the Party’s identity is inseparable from the leader’s, any insult to Xi is tantamount to an insult to the nation itself. As with Louis XIV’s France, Xi embodies the state — and the state embodies Xi.

Over the past decade, U.S. officials have increasingly embraced confrontational rhetoric toward China, undermining its emerging role on the world stage. Presidents Obama, Biden and Trump, despite their many differences, all contributed to a bipartisan “anti-China” consensus. Yet Trump proved harder for Beijing to predict: praising Chairman Xi one day, slapping 145% tariffs the next. This unpredictability, aimed at reaffirming U.S. global dominance, directly challenges the carefully cultivated self-image China projects at home — and struggles to maintain abroad.

For Xi, American antagonism presents a trap. Externally, Washington frames its criticisms around economic malpractices. Internally, however, Chinese audiences perceive these attacks as assaults on national dignity. This "loss of face" pressures Chinese leadership into taking a hard line, leaving little room for concessions — lest they be seen domestically as personal, and therefore national, humiliation.

This context has birthed the so-called "wolf warrior diplomacy," named after a series of patriotic Chinese action films. Departing from traditional behind-the-scenes diplomacy, China’s new style is openly assertive, sometimes combative, signaling strength as much to its domestic audience as to the world. Yet this approach is a double-edged sword: while it shores up internal support, it narrows diplomatic space, making pragmatic compromise even harder.

Chinese state media, the key weapon in this new diplomatic arsenal, amplifies nationalist narratives, portraying external criticism as unjust and humiliating.Television segments, articles, and internal social media paint China as a righteous victim resisting Western bullying — a narrative that resonates powerfully at home, but further polarizes relations abroad. Under these conditions, U.S.-China diplomacy risks becoming a zero-sum game, where any concession appears as weakness.

The concept of "face" has long fascinated scholars of Asian societies, but its role in foreign policy is often underestimated. In today’s Sino-American trade tensions, both sides are caught in a vicious cycle: China fights to save face; the U.S. pushes for strategic victories — even when mutual compromise would serve both better. Face culture is just one of many layers in this complex geopolitical chessboard. Yet, after two decades living and working across Asia, I believe it is a crucial, under-appreciated factor in understanding today’s crisis.

Trump’s aggressive negotiation tactics have worked against weaker counterparts. Whether they will succeed against Xi’s China, however, remains a question only history will answer.