'High tariffs created civil unrest in China': Trump accuses Beijing of violating trade pact

US President Donald Trump Friday (May 30) reignited trade tensions with China, accusing the world’s second-largest economy of reneging on a temporary agreement reached with Washington DC.

Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed that his deal helped China avert a “civil unrest” and stabilised its economy but he was no longer going to be “Mr nice guy” after Beijing “totally violated” the agreement.

Here is what Trump wrote in his post: “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 explosive post against China came hours after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Fox News that trade talks with Beijing were “a bit stalled”.

Earlier, US trade representative Jamieson Greer also echoed Trump’s allegation, saying “we are very concerned with” China’s purported non-compliance with the temporary trade deal.

The “United States did exactly what it was supposed to do, and the Chinese are slow rolling their compliance,” alleged Greer. He called that “completely unacceptable and has to be addressed.”

US-China trade tensions

Under Trump’s presidency, the US-China trade war intensified, with tariffs peaking at a 145 per cent rate on Chinese imports through the “Liberation Day” trade package.

This led to a sharp contraction in China’s manufacturing sector, with the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) hitting a 16-month low, reflecting reduced factory activity and export orders.

Cargo shipments from China reportedly dropped by up to 60 per cent, and the broader economy showed signs of slowing growth.

In May, a landmark trade deal was signed in Geneva , with both nations agreeing to cut tariffs by 115 per cent while keeping a 10 per cent tariff in place. China also committed to eliminating retaliatory tariffs and halting non-tariff countermeasures against the US. The Trump administration celebrated the agreement as a major victory, aimed at correcting unfair trade practices and narrowing the significant US trade deficit with China.