On Monday, China accused the United States of breaching the recently agreed 90-day trade truce between the two nations, responding strongly to former President Donald Trump’s claim that China had “totally violated” the deal.
The truce, announced last month, temporarily paused the escalating trade war by suspending most tariffs for 90 days. Initially hailed by Trump as a “total reset,” the former president later reversed course, posting on Truth Social that China had violated the agreement.
In response, China’s Ministry of Commerce criticized the U.S. for implementing a series of “discriminatory and restrictive measures” that have, according to Beijing, seriously undermined the agreement. These measures include: U.S. export controls on AI chips, A reported halt in the sale of chip design software to China, and announced plans to revoke the visas of Chinese students.
“Instead of reflecting on its own actions, (the U.S.) has falsely accused China of violating the consensus,” the ministry said. “China firmly rejects these groundless accusations.” It further urged Washington to “immediately correct its erroneous practices” and warned of “strong and resolute” countermeasures if the U.S. persists in what it described as unilateral and harmful behavior.
Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” accused China of withholding exports of rare earth minerals – resources critical to sectors like tech, energy, and automobile manufacturing – which it had committed to release under the truce.
“That is not what a reliable partner does,” Bessent said, while expressing hope that outstanding issues might be resolved in an upcoming call between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. He noted the holdup might be a bureaucratic delay or deliberate, saying, “We’ll see after the president speaks with the party chairman.”
Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, also suggested the leaders could speak within the week, though no official date had been confirmed. The last known conversation between Trump and Xi took place on January 17, shortly before Trump’s return to the presidency.
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