Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Deal: ‘So Much for Being Mr. Nice Guy!’

US President Donald Trump on Friday sharply accused China of “totally violating” its trade agreement with the United States, a pact he claimed was made to save Beijing from severe economic distress caused by his earlier imposition of steep tariffs. His remarks, posted on Truth Social, capped a week of fluctuating trade tensions, including stalled negotiations and shifting court rulings on US tariff policies.

“Two weeks ago China was in grave economic danger!” Trump wrote. He asserted that his “very high Tariffs” had made it “virtually impossible for China to TRADE into the United States marketplace,” leading to factory closures and “civil unrest.” Trump claimed he “made a FAST DEAL with China in order to save them,” which stabilized their economy.

“That is the good news!!! 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!” Trump concluded in his post.

The President’s accusations followed comments made just hours earlier by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who told Fox News that trade negotiations with China were “a bit stalled.” Bessent highlighted the complexity of the talks and suggested that direct involvement from both President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping would be required to move forward. He noted that progress had slowed since a temporary 90-day truce was reached earlier this month.

This truce saw both nations agree to roll back significant tariffs. Earlier this month, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced the Trump administration would drop a recently imposed 145 per cent tariff on Chinese imports to 30 per cent. In response, China agreed to lower its tariff rate on US goods to 10 per cent from a steep 125 per cent. This initial agreement, aimed at de-escalating a brewing trade war, followed marathon negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland – the first high-level talks since Trump initially imposed the high tariffs.

However, on May 29, Treasury Secretary Bessent had already indicated that while the temporary deal calmed markets, it failed to address deeper US concerns about China’s state-controlled economic model. Subsequently, the Trump administration has reportedly been turning its focus to trade discussions with other partners, including Japan, India, and the European Union.

The trade dispute is also playing out in US courts. On Wednesday, a US trade court ruled that President Trump had exceeded his authority by imposing most tariffs on Chinese and other imports under an emergency powers act. However, in a swift reversal, a federal appeals court on Thursday temporarily reinstated the tariffs, pausing the lower court’s decision to allow the government’s appeal to be reviewed. The appeals court has set a deadline of June 5 for plaintiffs to respond and June 9 for the administration’s reply.