China insists no trade talks with US, despite Trump claim

China repeated Saturday that it had held no talks with the United States on trade issues, despite President Donald Trump’s claim that he had taken a call from Xi Jinping. In an interview conducted April 22 with Time magazine and published Friday, Trump did not say when the call with the Chinese leader took place or specify what was discussed. “He’s called,” Trump said. “And I don’t think that’s a sign of weakness on his behalf.” China’s Commerce Ministry had already denied Thursday that Beijing and Washington were conducting economic or trade negotiations. In a statement posted on WeChat, Saturday, Beijing’s embassy in the U.S. capital repeated that assertion, saying “there have been no consultations or negotiations between China and the United States on tariff issues, let alone any agreement.” The statement did not mention Trump or Xi by name or directly reference Trump’s claim of a call, but said remarks by the United States that a dialogue on tariffs was ongoing were “nothing but misleading.” “This trade war was initiated by the U.S. side,” the statement said. “If the U.S. truly wants to

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