BEIJING: China has “firmly rejected” what it called the United States’ “baseless accusations” over alleged violations of a recent trade agreement to reduce tariffs, urging Washington to return to the consensus reached during talks in Geneva.
The sharp rebuttal follows comments by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who told Fox News Sunday that Beijing was “slow-rolling” its commitments under the 90-day tariff reduction deal agreed last month. U.S. President Donald Trump also claimed China had “totally violated” the agreement, though he provided no supporting evidence.
In a statement issued Monday, China’s Ministry of Commerce accused the U.S. of making “unreasonable allegations that contradict the facts,” and emphasized that China has acted in “good faith” to implement the consensus.
“China firmly rejects these unreasonable accusations,” the ministry said, adding that it remains committed to protecting its legitimate rights and interests while upholding the outcomes of the Geneva trade talks.
The ministry also criticized Washington for what it described as “a series of discriminatory measures” against Chinese interests, including export restrictions on AI chips and the revocation of student visas. These actions, Beijing said, undermined the spirit of cooperation that the temporary trade agreement was intended to foster.
“We urge the U.S. to correct its wrongful actions, meet China halfway, and work together to uphold the Geneva consensus,” the statement said.
It concluded with a warning that China “will continue to take strong and necessary measures” to defend its economic interests if the current dispute remains unresolved.
