President Trump on Friday claimed China “totally violated” a temporary truce with the US to lower tariff rates as the world’s two largest economies negotiate.
“China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US. So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
He did not specify how China violated the trade agreement, which the two nations reached earlier this month.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Friday told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that the White House has “been very focused on monitoring Chinese compliance, or in this case, noncompliance, with the agreement.”
One concern is the flow of critical minerals between the two countries, which China “continues to, you know, slow down and choke off,” Greer said.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has threatened to start revoking Chinese student visas, which Beijing criticized as “discriminatory,” and placed new curbs on chip exports to the nation.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said trade talks with China have “stalled.”
Both China and the US had slashed their tariff rates on the other by more than 100 percentage points, bringing China’s duty on the US down to 10% from 125% and Trump’s levy on China down to 30% from 145%.
The president’s tariffs are facing legal roadblocks after the US Court of International Trade on Wednesday ruled that Trump exceeded his executive authority by imposing steep tariffs on many nations.
The court gave Trump 10 days to reverse many of the taxes, including the harsh rate on China.
The Trump administration quickly filed an appeal and requested the ruling be paused until the appeal is heard. An 11-judge panel granted that request on Thursday, pumping the brakes on the tariff reversal.