Donald Trump emotionally accused China of violating the terms of the trade agreement, undermining tensions in bilateral relations
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, made a loud statement on his social media platform Truth Social, blaming China for allegedly breaching an important deal on tariff reductions that the country had signed with the American side a few months ago. In recent days, the situation on the trade front in the U.S. has caused increasing concern, especially after Trump openly accused Beijing of not fulfilling its obligations. According to the former president, even before the signing of the agreement, China was in a serious economic crisis, and civil unrest had literally begun in the country. He emphasized that this was precisely the reason the deal was quickly concluded—to prevent an even greater economic catastrophe that could have resulted from unexpected and sharp collapses and social tensions. "I made this deal to save China from even more painful and destructive consequences. I didn’t want another economic collapse and civil unrest in their country," Trump stated. At the same time, the former president claims that China, "which, perhaps predictably and unsurprisingly," has fully violated its previously agreed commitments. However, in his post, he did not elaborate on what exactly happened—what specific aspects of the agreement were breached, or what the U.S. administration’s response will be. There is also no specific information concerning further steps in this unfolding situation. As a reminder, according to initial agreements, the United States was to temporarily lower tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%. In response, China promised to reduce tariffs on American imported goods to 10%, and also to create a mechanism for further negotiations aimed at improving trade relations. In presence of these commitments, the sides planned to establish a continuous dialogue and find compromises on contentious issues. However, reality proved to be quite different: Trump repeatedly raised tariffs on Chinese imports up to 145%, while Beijing responded by increasing tariffs to 125%. These mutual actions led to significant economic damages for both countries. As of April, China’s exports to the U.S. dropped by 21%, further disturbing the trade balance and raising alarm in business circles. Many companies began expressing concerns about shortages of important goods and components, which was a direct result of the trade war. The growing tension in trade relations led Trump, at the end of April, to start considering the possibility of reducing the unprecedented tariffs, noting that the prolonged policy of raising tariffs might not be delivering the desired results and that a reassessment of his position may be necessary. However, whether the U.S. will respond to violations of agreements and what policy the administration will choose next remain unknown at this time. Overall, the situation with trade agreements between the U.S. and China continues to be one of the most pressing and complex issues in international relations, provoking fears in the global community about potential consequences for the global economy.