Topline
President Donald Trump said his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping was being very tough to make a deal with, further raising concerns about the state of trade talks between the two superpowers after they agreed to a 90-day truce in an escalating trade war.
FILE PHOTO: President Donald Trump said Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping was being very tough to deal … More with.
Key Facts
In a Truth Social post after midnight Wednesday, Trump wrote: “I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!”
It is unclear if Trump made the post after a call between the two leaders, something the White House said was supposed to take place sometime this week.
Trump also did not mention the state of trade talks with China.
On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue in Beijing and complained about recent actions targeting China.
Yi told Perdue the U.S. was introducing “a series of negative measures” he claimed were “infringing upon China’s legitimate rights and interests.”
At a meeting in Geneva last month, both countries agreed to a 90-day pause on most new tariffs on each other and to begin talks for a trade deal.
What Do We Know About Us-China Trade Talks?
In an interview last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged trade talks with China were “a bit stalled,” and suggested a direct intervention by Trump and Xi was needed to finalize a deal. “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. He noted the two presidents have a “very good relationship” and he was “confident that the Chinese will come to the table when President Trump makes his preferences known.” The White House’s top economic adviser Kevin Hassett told ABC News on Sunday he expects Trump “is going to have a wonderful conversation about the trade negotiations this week with President Xi.”
What Has Trump Said About The Geneva Pact?
In a Truth Social post last week, Trump said: “China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US,” but gave no details about the alleged violations. He then appeared to threaten retaliation, saying: “So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!” The president also claimed his steep tariffs had put China in “grave economic danger” and he agreed to a “FAST DEAL” in Geneva, “in order to save them from what I thought was going to be a very bad situation.”
How Has China Responded To Trump’s Violation Allegations?
On Monday, the Chinese Commerce Ministry rejected Trump’s claims and said China has ben working to “to strictly implement and actively safeguard the Geneva deal.” The spokesperson pointed to China’s suspension of “relevant tariffs and non-tariff measures” it had taken as retaliation against Trump’s tariffs. Beijing then accused the U.S. of breaching the Geneva pact by introducing “a number of discriminatory restrictive measures against China,” like expanded export controls on AI chips and visa crackdowns targe