Last month, China responded to U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that China violated the ‘tariff war’ ceasefire agreement by asserting that it is the U.S. that has broken the agreement.

U.S. President Donald Trump (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping / AP=Yonhap News

A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement posted on its website on 2nd that “China has approached the (last month) Geneva economic and trade talks agreement with a responsible attitude, has taken it seriously, implemented it strictly, and actively defended it,” adding that “China's commitment to safeguarding its interests is unwavering, and the implementation of the agreement is sincere.”

He also noted, “On the other hand, looking at the U.S., it has continued to introduce various new discriminatory restrictions against China even after the Geneva talks,” stating that “this includes the announcement of export controls on artificial intelligence (AI) chips, suspension of semiconductor design automation (EDA) software sales, and cancellations of visas for Chinese students.”

The spokesperson remarked, “The U.S. unilaterally and constantly creates new economic and trade friction, increasing the uncertainty and instability of bilateral economic and trade relations, yet it neither reflects on itself nor fails to blame others, accusing China of violating the agreement without reason, which is a serious distortion of facts,” and added, “China firmly rejects the unreasonable accusations.”

He continued, “The joint statement from the China-U.S. Geneva talks is an important agreement reached by both countries under the principles of mutual respect and equal negotiation, which is not an easily obtained outcome. We urge the U.S. to immediately correct its wrong actions toward China,” and added, “If the U.S. stubbornly continues to undermine China's interests, China will take strong and resolute measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”

Earlier, President Trump mentioned on his social media platform Truth Social on the 30th of last month that the two countries agreed to reduce tariffs by 115 percentage points each for 90 days, stating that “the bad news is that China has completely violated its agreement with us.” The Chinese government's statement that day was aimed at Trump's remarks.