Beijing has accused Washington of severely violating the trade truce agreed upon in Geneva last month, vowing to take strong countermeasures to protect its economic interests.

China's Ministry of Commerce stated that US actions have seriously undermined the agreement, which had seen both nations lower tariffs on each other’s goods. The ministry also claimed the US has breached commitments made during a phone call in January between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump.

Trump fired back on Friday, alleging that China had "totally violated its agreement" with the US, though he did not provide specifics. However, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer later clarified that China had failed to remove non-tariff barriers as stipulated in the deal.

Under the Geneva agreement, the US had slashed tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, while China lowered its retaliatory duties on American imports from 125% to 10%.

Despite the concessions, Beijing accused Washington on Monday of violating key aspects of the deal, including blocking sales of chip design software to Chinese firms, discouraging the use of Chinese-made chips, and cancelling student visas for Chinese nationals.

The fragility of the agreement has become evident, with growing tensions casting doubt on the possibility of a long-term trade resolution. However, top White House officials suggested that Trump and Xi may hold discussions soon, with Treasury Secretary Bessent indicating that details would be "ironed out" once direct talks occur.

Meanwhile, Trump recently announced plans to double tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%, a move aimed at boosting US domestic industries while reducing dependency on China.

Source: BBC

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