Trump refutes China's claim of no trade talk

25/4/2025 6:29

President Donald Trump

asserted on Thursday that trade talks between the U.S. and China

are underway, pushing back against Chinese claims that no

discussions have taken place to ease the ongoing trade war.



"They had a meeting this morning," Trump told

reporters, declining to say to whom he was referring. "It

doesn't matter who 'they' is. We may reveal it later, but they

had meetings this morning, and we've been meeting with China."



China on Thursday said it had not held trade talks with

Washington despite repeated comments from the U.S. government

suggesting there had been engagement.



"China and the United States have not conducted

consultations or negotiations on tariffs, let alone reached an

agreement," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun

told reporters at a news briefing, calling reports of such

information "false news."



A White House official said lower level in-person talks as

well as a phone call between U.S. and Chinese staff had taken

place this week.



The conflicting statements from Washington and Beijing

underscore the strained communication and uncertainty defining

the current trade war, adding volatility to global markets and

prolonging economic pain on both sides.



American businesses face soaring import costs while Chinese

exporters are squeezed by falling U.S. demand.



Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this week

indicated there might be an easing in tensions with China.



On Wednesday, Bessent said excessively high tariffs between

the U.S. and China will have to come down before trade

negotiations can proceed and that de-escalation was necessary

for the world's two largest economies to rebalance their trading

relationship.



The White House earlier this month imposed 145% tariffs on

Chinese goods, prompting Beijing to respond with duties of its

own and increased restrictions on critical minerals exports to

the United States.