China Says It Did Not Break Trade Deal After Trump’s Accusation
China has strongly denied what former U.S. President Donald Trump said about the trade deal between the two countries. Trump claimed that China broke the agreement they made, but China disagrees.
On Monday, a spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement that the accusations were “unreasonable” and not true. The spokesperson also said that it was actually the United States that didn’t follow the agreement.
China said it had already removed or paused some of the extra taxes (called tariffs) it put on American goods. These taxes were a response to the ones Trump had added on Chinese products. Despite this, China says the U.S. kept adding new rules and restrictions on Chinese trade, especially in high-tech areas like AI chips and software. China also mentioned that the U.S. had started making it harder for Chinese students to study in America by canceling some visas.
According to China, all these actions by the U.S. are unfair and against the spirit of the deal. “The U.S. is creating more problems and blaming us for them,” the statement said. China also warned that if the U.S. continues hurting its economy, it will fight back to protect its own interests.
Trump had posted on social media on Friday, saying that China “totally violated its agreement with us.” The deal, made in May during talks in Geneva, was supposed to pause extra taxes on trade for 90 days. As part of the deal, China agreed to lower tariffs on U.S. goods from 125% to 10%, and the U.S. agreed to lower its tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%.
However, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on CBS News that China had not released some of the products it promised to under the deal. He said these products included rare earth materials, which are important for electronics.
Critique and Agreement:
- On China’s Denial: It’s common in international politics for both sides to blame each other. China may have a point in saying the U.S. added new restrictions after the deal. However, that doesn’t prove China fully kept its side of the agreement either.
- On Trump’s Claim: Saying China “totally violated” the deal seems like an exaggeration. If only some promised goods (like rare earths) were delayed, it might be a partial issue, not a total breakdown.
- On U.S. Actions After the Deal: The U.S. did introduce new controls (like banning chip sales) after the agreement. That makes it harder for China to trust the U.S. side too. This could be seen as the U.S. not sticking to the deal in spirit.
- On the Deal Itself: A 90-day pause and big drops in tariffs seemed like a good first step. But both sides appear to be violating parts of the agreement. Instead of solving the issue privately, both countries are making public accusations, which worsens relations.
