China’s ambassador to the U.S., Xie Feng, has blamed U.S. tariffs and export controls for a drop in trade between the two countries.

That’s according to a speech he gave via video on Tuesday at Forbes’ U.S.-China Business Forum in New York, published online by the Chinese Embassy in the U.S.

China-U.S. trade fell by 14.5% in the first half of the year from a year ago, Xie pointed out.

“This is a direct consequence of U.S. moves to levy Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports, abuse unilateral sanctions and further tighten up export controls,” he said.

“Livelihoods of many families have been affected, and businesses from both countries have born the brunt.”