Unfortunately, “tariffs” has become a word we’re really all too overexposed to now in 2025. For better or worse, this has revealed that way too many people have no idea what they are, how they work and who is paying in the end. So it can be helpful to see just what the situation on the ground is on the other end of whatever tariffs have been put up recently.
A content creator ended up going viral after she showcased just how Chinese grocery stores have been affected by tariffs. Spoiler alert, mostly they’ve just replaced US beef with Australian. We reached out to her via email and will update the article when she gets back to us.
More info: TikTok
For all the constant talk of tariffs, most Americans probably have no idea how it affects China
Image credits: emily.socialsss
So a content creator shared a look at a Chinese grocery store
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: emily.socialsss
Image credits: Shaiith / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Many people see Australian beef as an improvement
Bored Panda got in touch with Emily who made the video and she was kind enough to share some more details with us. The video from the grocery store did end up going viral and had thousands of comments, so we wanted to hear her thoughts on what made it so engaging. “I think my video went viral because it resonated with both Americans and Australians. Americans in the comments said “Aussie beef is better than American beef”, “I’d never trust American beef myself” and Australians said “Australian beef is grass-fed and much better than American beef”. I also noticed people from other countries like the UK and Canada said they are doing the same thing – ditching American beef because of its quality. People from around the world agreed on two things – “Trump’s tariffs are only hurting the USA” and “Australian beef is better”.
Ever since tariffs became a campaign point in 2024, it’s become abundantly clear that many Americans just don’t quite understand how they function and what they will mean for the consumer. So it’s pretty easy to see why they might be even less aware how tariffs will and won’t affect China. “There is a saying in China that goes like “you can never wake up anyone that’s pretending to sleep”. People always believe in what they want to believe even if the brutal truth is right in front of them. Because if they admit that tariffs are not hurting China but only hurting the USA, they are admitting that they voted for the wrong president and chose all these themselves. And that’s the sad reality for a lot of Americans,” she shared. Slowly, many Americans are becoming aware of what tariffs are about to do, as people have started sharing receipts of tariff-affected prices online.
Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)
China has already found alternative to US food products
On a practical level, we were curious to hear if there are any other non-US alternatives she’s started to purchase as Chinese stores move away from US goods. “That’s a great question. I’m actually thinking of making another video about how US products vanished in Chinese supermarkets and were replaced with alternatives from other countries. But for now, I will say beef is definitely the most recognizable shift.”
“I definitely wanted to add the timeline of American and Australian beef in Chinese supermarkets as I was doing research for my video before. Starting from February, I paid close attention to American beef and I noticed a huge shrink in American beef compared to 2 years ago. Products like Australian beef are everywhere. When you search for “imported beef” online, most likely it will be Australian beef (used to be American beef). And now when I was filming that video this May, I did a thorough search in the supermarket and I confirmed there is nothing from the US in my local supermarket.” If you are interested in seeing more of her research into this topic, be sure to check out her TikTok account or follow her social media.
It is worth noting that US beef exports to China is a drop in the water in the grand scheme of things, it still represents $125 million a month, most of which will end as tariffs drive the price up. It’s not just beef. Pork exports are expected to fall apart as Chinese restaurants and suppliers switch to Canadian alternatives. The trend is clear, China can substitute many American goods while the haphazard blanket tariffs put up by the Trump administration risk severely limiting export opportunities to US businesses. Even worse, some smaller US companies are struggling to even find a workable business model as their overseas suppliers are forced to raise costs.
Some viewers were very surprised by what she showed them
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