Former US President Donald Trump has accused China of violating a recently agreed tariff truce, a claim swiftly countered by China with its own allegations of US misconduct.
Following talks in Geneva, Washington and Beijing had reached a temporary agreement to reduce reciprocal tariffs.
However, Trump asserted on Friday that China had “totally violated its agreement,” without providing specifics. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer subsequently clarified that China hadn’t fully removed non-tariff barriers as stipulated in the deal.
Beijing’s response refrained from directly addressing the US claims, instead urging the US to “cease discriminatory restrictions against China.”
These strong pronouncements from both sides have fueled concerns of a potential resurgence in trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies, despite recent negotiations.
Trump stated on Truth Social that his administration’s tariffs had been “devastating” for China, prompting him to broker a “FAST DEAL” to avert what he perceived as a dire situation. He declared, “Everybody was happy! That is the good news!!! The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US. So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!”
While he offered no further details, Ambassador Greer later told CNBC that China hadn’t adequately rescinded its own trade restrictions on the US.
Greer explained that China’s retaliatory tariffs included measures such as blacklisting US companies and restricting rare earth magnet exports – crucial for various industries including automotive, aviation, and semiconductor manufacturing.
“They removed the tariff like we did but some of the countermeasures they’ve slowed on,” Ambassador Greer stated.
He added that the US had been closely monitoring China’s compliance and expressed significant concern over the progress. “The United States did exactly what it was supposed to do and the Chinese are slow-rolling their compliance which is completely unacceptable and has to be addressed,” Greer emphasized.
In response, China urged the US to “immediately correct its erroneous actions, cease discriminatory restrictions against China and jointly uphold the consensus reached at the high-level talks in Geneva.”
A spokesperson from the Chinese embassy in Washington cited China’s repeated concerns over US “abuse of export control measures in the semiconductor sector.” The US has existing restrictions on technology exports to China and recently paused additional sales of crucial chip technologies, chemicals, and machinery.
Pengyu Liu noted ongoing communication between both sides since the May 11th Geneva talks, which had concluded on a positive note.
However, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated on Thursday that trade talks had “stalled somewhat.”
Bessent told Fox News, “Given the magnitude and complexity of these talks, it will require [leaders of both countries] to engage directly with each other.”
Trump’s global tariff strategy suffered a setback on Wednesday after a ruling deemed his actions exceeding his authority. The White House appeal temporarily reinstated the tariffs.
His administration also initiated a stricter visa revocation process for Chinese students in the US, numbering an estimated 280,000.
The Geneva agreement saw both Washington and Beijing reduce tariffs on each other’s imports, with some tariffs cancelled and others suspended for 90 days.
Bessent acknowledged a slowdown in further deal negotiations but confirmed ongoing talks. He predicted more discussions in the coming weeks and possibly a call between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, highlighting their “very good relationship.”
Under the earlier agreement, US tariffs on Chinese goods decreased from 145% to 30%, while China’s retaliatory tariffs on US goods fell from 125% to 10%.
Trump maintained that tariffs encourage domestic consumption, boosting manufacturing jobs and tax revenue, using them as leverage in trade negotiations to reduce deficits.
Trade talks between Japan and the US continued in Washington on Friday. Bessent noted that some US trade deals were nearing completion, while others faced greater complexity.
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He urged the Supreme Court to quickly overturn the decision on Truth Social.
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