US President Donald Trump on Friday said that China has “totally violated” a trade agreement hastily brokered just weeks ago to save Beijing from economic collapse triggered by his own aggressive tariff strategy.
In a post laden with trademark Trump flair, he recounted how his sweeping tariffs - some exceeding 100% - had sent China’s economy into a tailspin, forcing factory closures and sparking what he described as “civil unrest.” Trump claimed he intervened with a “FAST DEAL” out of concern for China’s stability, only to be betrayed.
"Two weeks ago China was in grave economic danger! The very high Tariffs I set made it virtually impossible for China to TRADE into the United States marketplace which is, by far, number one in the World. We went, in effect, COLD TURKEY with China, and it was devastating for them. Many factories closed and there was, to put it mildly, “civil unrest.” I saw what was happening and didn’t like it, for them, not for us. 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. Because of this deal, everything quickly stabilized and China got back to business as usual. Everybody was happy! 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's Truth Social post read.
Trump on Thursday received temporary approval to continue collecting tariffs under emergency powers, just a day after a separate court ruled that he had exceeded his authority by imposing sweeping levies on foreign imports.
The short-term relief will allow the appeals process to proceed after the US Court of International Trade barred most of the tariffs announced since Trump took office, ruling on Wednesday that he had overstepped his authority.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that trade talks with China -- the hardest hit by the tariffs -- were "a bit stalled" and Trump might need to speak to President Xi Jinping in order to iron out tariffs between the world's two biggest economies.
"I think that given the magnitude of the talks, given the complexity, that this is going to require both leaders to weigh in with each other," Bessent told Fox News after the ruling from the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, known as an administrative stay.
Washington and Beijing agreed this month to pause reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, a surprise de-escalation in their bitter trade war following talks between top officials in Geneva.
Asked about Bessent's comments at a regular news conference on Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Beijing had "stated its position on the tariffs issue many times" in an apparent reference to the Asian manufacturing giant's fury at the levies.
Trump has moved to reconfigure US trade ties with the world since returning to the presidency in January, using levies to force foreign governments to the negotiating table.
However, the stop-start tariff rollout on both allies and adversaries has roiled markets and snarled supply chains.
The White House had been given 10 days to halt affected tariffs before Thursday's decision from the appeals court.
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