US President Hints at Trade Issues with China

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump indicated a resurgence of trade disputes with China on Friday, asserting that Beijing had “violated” an agreement intended to reduce tariffs. This statement comes amidst apparent stagnation in negotiations between the two nations.

Trump’s remarks on his Truth Social platform followed an interview on Fox News, where US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent noted that trade discussions with China were “a bit stalled.”

Earlier this month, the world’s leading economies had consented to a temporary reduction in the substantial tariffs imposed on each other, agreeing to a 90-day pause following high-level discussions in Geneva.

However, on Friday, Trump stated that “China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US,” without elaborating. When questioned about the post on CNBC, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer criticized Beijing for its continued efforts to “slow down and choke off things like critical minerals.”

Greer further mentioned that the United States’ trade deficit with China “continues to be enormous,” and Washington has not observed significant changes in Beijing’s conduct.

“The Chinese are slow-rolling their compliance, which is completely unacceptable,” Greer added.

On Thursday, Bessent proposed the possibility of Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, becoming directly involved to resolve the situation.