China Hits Back at Trump's Trade Accusations Amid Growing Tensions

In a sharp response to President Trump’s accusations regarding a trade truce violation, China’s Ministry of Commerce has claimed that the U.S. is undermining their agreement through discriminatory measures and escalated tensions.

China has firmly rebutted President Trump's allegations that it has violated their recently established trade truce, claiming that the United States is, in fact, the party responsible for undermining the agreement. In a statement released on Monday, China's Ministry of Commerce emphasized that Trump's comments were “baseless” and criticized the U.S. for accusing Beijing of failing to uphold its commitments.

The trade truce, reached last month, aimed to ease the growing economic tensions between the two nations by rolling back tariffs and other trade barriers for 90 days while negotiations continued. Despite this truce, Trump took to social media to voice his discontent, prompting a swift response from Chinese officials.

China's commerce ministry accused the U.S. of engaging in “erroneous practices” by implementing a series of restrictive measures, such as limiting the sale of chip design software to China and blocking American firms from utilizing or financing AI chips from the Chinese technology giant Huawei. The ministry also criticized the Trump administration's recent announcement of plans to revoke Chinese student visas aggressively and impose heightened scrutiny on future applications.

In its statement, China warned that the U.S.'s unilateral actions are exacerbating economic frictions and increasing uncertainty in the already fragile trade relations. The ministry asserted its commitment to protecting its legitimate rights and interests should the U.S. persist in harming Chinese interests.

The tensions come amidst broader concerns regarding critical resources, particularly rare earth metals, which are vital for manufacturing various essential products, including semiconductors and electric vehicles. The U.S. has grown increasingly reliant on these resources, with China controlling a significant portion of their production.

Jamieson Greer, the U.S. trade representative involved in negotiations, noted that delays in compliance and the inadequate flow of vital minerals from China were concerning. The trade truce offered a temporary pause to the escalating trade war; tariffs on Chinese imports had soared to 145 percent before the agreement, while China had slapped a 125 percent duty on U.S. goods in retaliation.

As the deadline for the temporary agreement looms, questions remain regarding whether a lasting resolution can be attained between the world’s two largest economies.