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By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
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The Chinese Foreign Ministry has spelled out what it said were the three violations of the tariff-slashing China-U.S. agreement reached in Geneva, and accused Washington of taking "extreme measures" based on "defamatory accusations."
Lin Jian, spokesman for the ministry, listed "controls on chip exports to China, halting the sales of chip design software to China, and announcing revocations of Chinese student visas" as having "severely violated the common understandings reached in Geneva."
"China firmly opposed this and made strong protests," Lin said at a press briefing on Tuesday morning. "Let me stress once again that this pressuring and coercion is not the right way to engage with China."
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Why It Matters
This renewed clash between the economic giants threatens to again destabilize global markets, disrupt established supply chains, and impact American businesses and consumers who rely on international trade.
The tit-for-tat accusations have highlighted persistent mistrust and the difficulty in enforcing trade agreements, even after high-level talks aimed at reducing tariffs and calming markets.
There is the risk of fresh escalation, with the reimposition of tariffs and other measures.
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What To Know
In May, the U.S. and China agreed in Geneva to reduce import tariffs by a combined 115 percentage points, an arrangement intended to cool tensions after years of duties and trade conflict that came to a head in April.
Both sides indicated the agreement was a framework toward a larger, more durable understanding—and perhaps even a deal further down the line.
President Donald Trump has since accused China of violating the agreement, saying he would soon speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping to try to resolve the issues that have arisen.
Trump did not specify the Chinese violation to which he was referring. But China is frustrating the U.S. by moving too slowly on easing its rare earth export controls, The Wall Street Journal reported, a key part of the Geneva agreement.
Trump's administration has in recent days issued AI chip export control guidelines, stopped the sale of chip design software to China, and is planning to revoke a significant number of Chinese student visas—targeting those with ties to the ruling Chinese Communist Party or who are studying in sensitive areas.
On Monday, a spokesperson for the Chinese Commerce Ministry threatened unspecified retaliation, saying China will "continue to take resolute and forceful measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests."
What People Are Saying
Lin Jian, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman, said on Tuesday: "We urge the U.S. to respect the facts, stop peddling misinformation, correct relevant wrongdoings, and take concrete moves to uphold the common understandings reached by the two sides."
President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social on May 30: "We went, in effect, COLD TURKEY with China, and it was devastating for them…I made a FAST DEAL with China in order to save them from what I thought was going to be a very bad situation, and I didn't want to see that happen…The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US. So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!"
What's Next
Trump and Xi are due to speak soon, though the exact date and time is yet to be confirmed.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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