China Pushes Back After Trump Accuses It of Breaking Trade Truce
Tensions between the U.S. and China are flaring up again after former President Donald Trump accused Beijing of violating a recent trade truce. The agreement, which was reached earlier this month following discussions in Geneva, aimed to ease tariff-related tensions between the two global powers.
Trump took to Truth Social on Friday, claiming that China had "totally violated" the deal made with the U.S., although he offered no specific evidence. He described the original agreement as a move to prevent what he called a “very bad situation” for China, suggesting that the tariffs imposed during his administration had been severely damaging for the Chinese economy.
Later, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer elaborated on Trump's remarks in an interview with CNBC. Greer stated that although China had removed some tariffs as agreed, it had been slow to lift additional non-tariff barriers. These included blacklisting certain U.S. firms and curbing the export of rare earth materials—vital for sectors like automotive, aerospace, and electronics.
"While China matched our tariff removals, it has not followed through on unwinding several key countermeasures," Greer noted, adding that Washington is closely monitoring the situation and remains "very concerned" about Beijing’s commitment to the deal.
China's response was measured but firm. Without directly addressing Trump’s accusations, Beijing urged the U.S. to stop what it termed “discriminatory restrictions” against Chinese interests.
The escalating rhetoric has sparked renewed worries that trade hostilities between the world's top two economies could reignite, despite the recent diplomatic progress.