US President Donald Trump on Thursday refuted a Chinese statement that the two economic powers have not held talks to ease an ongoing trade war, saying there were meetings earlier in the day
“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 US 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 spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters at a news briefing, calling reports of such information “fake news”.
Trump and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this week indicated there might be an easing in tensions with China.
The White House earlier this month imposed 145 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods, prompting Beijing to respond with duties of its own and increased restrictions on critical minerals exports to the United States.
