President Donald Trump has accused China of “completely going against” their trade agreement.
Following reciprocal tariff increases between the U.S. and China, and growing concerns about a potential large-scale trade conflict, both countries agreed on May 12 to significantly reduce tariffs for a 90-day period. The U.S. committed to decreasing import taxes on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, while China agreed to lower its tariffs from 125% to 10%. The implementation was expected by May 14, but Trump’s recent social media post raises doubts.
“Two weeks ago China faced a serious economic crisis! The high tariffs I imposed made it nearly impossible for China to trade with the United States,” Trump stated on Friday morning, claiming that the high levies caused “civil unrest.”
“I quickly made a deal with China to rescue them from what I believed would be a dire situation, as I didn’t want to see that happen. Because of this deal, everything quickly stabilized, and China resumed normal business operations. Everyone was pleased! That’s the positive aspect,” Trump continued. “The negative aspect is that China, perhaps unsurprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US. So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!”
After Trump’s allegations of a breached agreement, .
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer echoed Trump’s sentiment on Friday morning, stating that Trump and his advisors have been “very concerned” since the extensive trade negotiations in Geneva in early May.
“No one can dispute that the United States fulfilled its obligations, but the Chinese are delaying their compliance, which is completely unacceptable and must be addressed,” Greer said.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested that negotiations and relations were strained, stating that discussions with China were “somewhat stalled.”
“I anticipate further talks with them in the coming weeks, and I believe we may—at some point—have a call between the President and Party Chair Xi [Jinping],” Bessent said.
A federal appeals court on Thursday evening agreed to temporarily maintain many of Trump’s tariffs on China and other countries—providing the Administration with some relief after a three-judge panel ruled to block the tariffs on Wednesday.
But this is not the end of the legal challenges to Trump’s tariffs, as their legality remains uncertain amid ongoing appeals.
Another factor that could potentially affect the U.S. and China’s trade negotiations is Trump’s recent focus on international students in the U.S., which affects Chinese citizens.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the State Department and Homeland Security will “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.” The move could increase tensions between the U.S. and China.
