China Exposes Trump's Lies About Floundering Tariff Talks
Trump claimed Friday that China had 'totally violated' the terms of the 90-day tariff pause that the two countries hammered out in Geneva at the start of last month. In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump insisted he had taken a soft-handed approach to negotiations in the weeks since, but now he was done being 'MR. NICE GUY!'
Trump's comments came just hours after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who was one of the principal U.S. negotiators in Switzerland, admitted on Fox News that trade talks between Beijing and Washington had 'stalled.'
China hit back Monday, stating Trump's claims that the Asian powerhouse had been withholding rare earths were 'groundless.' In reality, officials said, the U.S. had 'seriously damaged' the agreement by imposing restrictions on Chinese-made microchips and student visas for Chinese nationals.
'The United States had unilaterally provoked new economic and trade tensions,' a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. 'Instead of reflecting on itself, it has made bogus accusations and unreasonably denounced China for violating the agreement.'
'If the U.S. insists on its own way and continues to damage China's interests, China will continue to take resolute and forceful measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,' the spokesperson said, without providing details of what those measures might be.
The Trump administration agreed in May to temporarily lower tariffs on Chinese goods to 30 percent from 145 percent. China agreed to reciprocate by lowering tariffs on American products to 10 percent from 125 percent.
But it's unclear what the future of tariffs between the two nations will be. In addition to the clearly struggling trade talks, two separate courts have deemed Trump's sweeping global tariff plan as illegal. The Trump administration plans to appeal at least one of those rulings.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced last week that the administration would work to 'aggressively revoke' visas for those with alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party as well as for any Chinese national studying in 'critical fields' in the U.S.. Rubio said his department would also 'enhance scrutiny' of all visa applications from China, including Hong Kong.
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