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Bloomberg Published
April 14, 2025
TikTok users in the U.S. are being inundated with videos from Chinese influencers encouraging Americans to bypass Trump-era tariffs by buying directly from the "world's factory"—China.
Mostly filmed inside Chinese factories claiming to supply leading U.S. brands—from Lululemon Athletica Inc. to Nike Inc.—the videos aim to "expose" how most consumer goods are made in the world's second-largest economy. Many influencers share website links and contact information, encouraging viewers to place orders directly with suppliers. "Why don't you just contact us and buy from us? You won't believe the prices we give you," said one creator promoting luxury handbags.
In another video, TikTok creator @LunaSourcingChina stands outside a factory she claims produces Lululemon yoga leggings for $5 to $6, even though they retail for over $100 in the U.S. "The material and craftsmanship are basically the same," she says.
Some of the most popular videos—many posted in March but gaining traction only recently—have been amplified by a clip titled "China exposed the truth," which had 8.3 million views and 492,000 likes as of Monday morning in New York. A video claiming to reveal Lululemon's Chinese supplier reached 2.6 million views and over 215,000 likes, while another, titled "How we bypass tariffs," neared 1 million views with 118,000 likes.
The sheer volume of similarly themed videos surfacing in a short period suggests a growing backlash to President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, including the newly announced 145% levy on China. While it remains unclear how ordering directly from Chinese suppliers would help consumers bypass the tariffs—especially as the duty waiver for small parcels shipped to U.S. homes is set to expire on May 2—the trend reflects mounting global pushback against the trade measures and the White House's narrative that they serve American interests.
The flood of posts also highlights the growing effectiveness of Chinese creators in reaching the daily lives of everyday Americans. TikTok's algorithm—and its ability to shape what millions of U.S. users see—remains a key concern fueling U.S. government efforts to pressure its Chinese parent company, ByteDance Ltd., to divest its international operations. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Other Chinese social media platforms—such as Xiaohongshu, also known as Red Note—have also gained traction among young U.S. users amid growing uncertainty over continued access to TikTok.
"These posts are much more confrontational and mocking of the U.S., rather than showing it as a threat," said Tom Harper, a lecturer in Chinese international relations at the University of East London. He noted that they follow a wave of AI-generated images portraying Americans working on factory assembly lines.
Some of the videos directly criticize U.S. trade policies and call on American citizens to take action. "For decades, your government and oligarchs ship your jobs to China—not for diplomacy, not for peace, but to exploit cheap labor and in the process, they hollow out your middle class, crash your working class, and told you to be proud while they sold your future for profit," said user @neil778027 in a video. "Americans, you don't need a tariff; you need a revolution."
On Friday, the U.S. government announced tariff exemptions on a range of Chinese imports, including electronics, computers, and semiconductors—though it remains unclear how long those exceptions will stay in place. The new exemptions do not cover most of the Chinese-made goods featured in the TikTok videos, such as apparel and accessories.
Many European luxury brands also appear in the videos, though the creators don't clarify why they're being included in content aimed at pushing back against U.S. trade policies.
The videos also raise important questions about confidentiality—specifically, whether the featured factories have non-disclosure agreements with their international clients and how this public exposure could impact long-standing relationships between global brands and their manufacturers.
Cameron Johnson, senior partner at Shanghai-based consultancy Tidalwave Solutions, who recently visited the manufacturing hub of Yiwu, sees the trend as part of a broader shift in sourcing practices.
"In the past, you might use a middleman or a trading company to source your products, for your deal with quality control, or go visit the factory, establish those relationships, and then maybe you would come on occasion," he told Bloomberg TV. "But now what we're seeing is just a complete democratization of sourcing products."