Former U.S. President Donald Trump has lashed out at China, accusing its government of going back on a trade agreement the two countries had temporarily upheld. For the past three weeks, both nations had paused their escalating tariff war in hopes of negotiating a more stable economic arrangement. This truce came after intense talks led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who met with Chinese officials in Geneva and helped both sides agree to a 90-day suspension of new tariffs.
But that fragile peace may now be over. Bessent, speaking to Fox News, admitted that discussions had reached a standstill. He said that due to the complexity of the negotiations, the top leaders of both nations would likely have to step in directly to move things forward again. This acknowledgment came just before Trump unleashed a furious message on his social media platform Truth Social.
In his post, Trump claimed that China was facing severe economic turmoil just two weeks ago, largely due to the tough trade barriers his administration imposed during his presidency. He stated that U.S. tariffs had nearly cut off China from the American market—the largest in the world. According to Trump, factories in China shut down, civil unrest erupted, and the situation was becoming dire. He said he acted quickly to stabilize things by reaching a fast deal, not for America’s benefit but to help China avoid collapse. He suggested this move brought calm back to the region and claimed both sides were content—until now.
Trump then delivered a harsh accusation, saying China had completely gone back on the agreement. In his words, the deal had been “totally violated” and sarcastically remarked that this was the result of trying to be “Mr. Nice Guy.”
The U.S. and China have been locked in a trade war since Trump’s declaration of April 2 as “Liberation Day” for American trade policy. His administration slapped massive tariffs on various nations, with China receiving the brunt of the blow—some products taxed as high as 145%. China retaliated with its own set of tariffs, reaching 125% on some U.S. goods.
As of now, it’s unclear what the next steps will be in terms of tariffs and trade relations. The world is watching to see whether this dispute reignites into another full-blown trade war.
