US President, Donald Trump on Thursday refuted Chinese claims that no discussions have taken place to ease the ongoing trade war, saying trade talks between the US and China were underway.
Trump debunked the claims while speaking to reporters.
“They had a meeting this morning. 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,” he said.
Media Talk Africa reports that 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 spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters at a news briefing, calling reports of such information false news.
Meanwhile, an official in the White House, speaking to reporters on the condition of anonymity, said lower level in-person talks as well as a phone call between US and Chinese staff had taken place this week.
Media Talk Africa reports that 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 are said to be facing soaring import costs while Chinese exporters are squeezed by falling US demand.
This week, Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated that there might be an easing in tensions with China.
Bessent on Wednesday said excessively high tariffs between the US 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.
Recall that 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.
