China Calls U.S. "Unilateral Bully" Over Russia Tariff Demands

Escalating Tensions Between the U.S. and China

China has taken a strong stance against the United States, accusing it of using “unilateral bullying” to pressure allies into imposing tariffs on Chinese goods due to its oil dealings with Russia. This accusation came as Chinese and American officials were engaged in trade negotiations in Madrid, marking their fourth meeting in four months to address a growing economic conflict.

According to reports, the Chinese commerce ministry labeled Washington’s actions as “a classic example of economic coercion.” They urged the U.S. to cease its pressure tactics and instead engage in equal dialogue to resolve disputes. The tension was sparked by the U.S. urging the G7 and NATO to support secondary tariffs on Chinese imports. The White House claims that China's continued oil purchases from Russia are enabling Moscow to bypass global sanctions.

China has made it clear that it will not comply with U.S.-led sanctions and will continue buying Russian oil. The discussions took place during the second day of closed-door meetings between U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng at Spain’s Palacio de Santa Cruz.

Progress on TikTok Ownership

While trade tensions escalated, another major issue—TikTok ownership—saw some progress. Bessent confirmed that U.S. and Chinese officials had agreed on a framework to transfer ownership of the app’s U.S. business to an American-controlled entity. Final confirmation is expected during a call between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping on Friday. Bessent noted that the looming September 17 deadline forced negotiators to move quickly, but he also mentioned the timeline might be extended another 90 days to finalize details.

He explained that both sides approached TikTok from different angles. “They’re interested in Chinese characteristics of the app, which they think are soft power,” Bessent said. “We don’t care about Chinese characteristics. We care about national security.”

The earlier version of this deal, announced in March, didn't materialize. This time, both delegations seem more serious. The U.S. Congress had already passed a law in 2024 demanding TikTok be sold or shut down entirely, citing surveillance risks and data exposure to Beijing. Trump, who credits TikTok for helping him win re-election, has 15 million followers on the app and doesn’t want it banned.

“A deal was also reached on a ‘certain’ company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save. They will be very happy! I will be speaking to President Xi on Friday. The relationship remains a very strong one!!!” he wrote on Truth Social. Meanwhile, the White House recently launched its own official TikTok account to expand messaging on the platform.

Chip Tensions Flare as China Targets Nvidia

The same day trade talks continued, China’s market regulator launched an antitrust investigation into U.S. chipmaker Nvidia, claiming early findings showed it violated anti-monopoly laws. Bessent called the timing “poor” but didn’t comment further. The decision is widely seen as retaliation for Washington’s decision to restrict chip and semiconductor exports to China, part of the growing tech war between the two governments.

Wang Jingtao, an official with China’s cyberspace watchdog, confirmed that the proposed TikTok deal could include licensing agreements for intellectual property, including TikTok’s underlying algorithms. However, it’s still unclear whether ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, will hand over control of the platform’s full tech stack.

Li Chenggang, China’s chief trade negotiator, said U.S. security arguments were just more “unilateral bullying” and hinted that China would only move forward with TikTok divestment if Washington made concessions on tech and trade restrictions. Scott confirmed that China had come to the table with “a very aggressive ask,” but stressed the U.S. wouldn’t compromise national security just to keep a social media app running.

Negotiators from both countries have been meeting in European capitals since May, trying to stop the constant escalation of tariffs and halt the blockage of rare earth exports. Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative, said the TikTok agreement showed both countries were at least willing to engage seriously.

“It’s no secret that there are serious issues on trade, economics, and national security between the United States and China. To be able to come, sit down, quickly identify the issues, narrow them down to a very granular spot, and be able to come to a conclusion, subject to the leaders’ approval, I mean, that is remarkable,” Greer said.

As of now, the Trump–Xi phone call scheduled for Friday is expected to lock in the TikTok ownership terms and possibly push forward other pending issues. China wants tech restrictions rolled back, while the U.S. continues to push allies to punish Beijing economically for its ties to Russia. Bessent said the Russia issue was only “briefly discussed,” but made it clear the White House isn’t backing down.