China Accuses US of 'Severely Violating' Trade Truce, Warns of Retaliation.
Tensions between the United States and China have flared again, with Beijing accusing Washington of “severely violating” a recent trade truce and vowing to take strong countermeasures to defend its interests.
China’s Ministry of Commerce issued a sharp rebuke on Monday, claiming the US had “seriously undermined” the agreement struck during high-level negotiations in Geneva last month. That accord had seen both nations agree to scale back tariffs, with the US reducing duties on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, and China dropping its retaliatory tariffs from 125% to 10%.
The Ministry further alleged that recent US actions “severely violated the consensus reached” during a January phone call between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump. Among the alleged breaches: halting sales of advanced chip-design software to Chinese firms, discouraging the use of Huawei-manufactured semiconductors, and revoking visas for Chinese students.
The accusations followed President Trump’s claim last Friday that China had “totally violated its agreement with us,” though he offered no specifics. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer later elaborated, accusing China of failing to dismantle non-tariff barriers as promised under the deal.
The Geneva agreement had initially surprised analysts, many of whom believed the two sides were still worlds apart on major trade issues. The deal had been seen as a rare breakthrough and a sign that face-to-face diplomacy could yield results. However, recent rhetoric from both capitals underscores just how fragile the truce remains.
Despite escalating tensions, US officials indicated that diplomacy may still have a path forward. Treasury Secretary Bessent told CBS News that “details of the trade will be ‘ironed out’ once Xi and Trump speak,” though he gave no timeline. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett echoed that sentiment on ABC News, stating, “both sides have expressed a willingness to talk.”
Still, Beijing has emphasized its preference for negotiations to be conducted at working levels before involving heads of state. This divergence in diplomatic style has led to additional strain.
Complicating matters further, President Trump announced last week a doubling of tariffs on steel and aluminum—from 25% to 50%—set to take effect Wednesday. Speaking at a rally in Pittsburgh, he justified the hike as a measure to “boost the local steel industry and national supply, while reducing reliance on China.”
While the Trump administration has often touted its confrontational trade stance as a tough but necessary strategy, the chaotic handling of this latest agreement illustrates deeper flaws. Erratic decision-making, vague accusations, and a lack of diplomatic consistency have undermined trust in US commitments.
Rather than fostering American strength, Trump’s approach has alienated allies, empowered rivals, and left US industries caught in crossfire. The pattern of backtracking on agreements not only weakens the nation’s negotiating power but signals to the world that under Trump, American leadership is unpredictable, transactional, and dangerously short-sighted.
