Trump insists US & China held trade talks after the Chinese said no such meeting occurred

U.S. president Donald Trump said on Apr. 24 that the U.S. and China had met to talk about easing the ongoing trade war, after a statement by Beijing said no such meeting took place, Reuters reported.

“They had a meeting this morning,” Trump told reporters but declined to identify the individuals involved.

He added: “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 called such info "fake news"

China on Thursday said it had not held trade talks with the U.S. in the face of repeated comments from the U.S. that there had been engagement.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters at a news briefing that reports of such information are “fake news”.

“China and the United States have not conducted consultations or negotiations on tariffs, let alone reached an agreement,” he said.

The Ministry of Commerce echoed the sentiment in a conference held the same day.

“If the U.S. truly wants to resolve the issue, it should heed rational voices from the international community and domestic stakeholders, completely abolish all unilateral tariffs on China, and find a solution through equal dialogue,” said ministry spokesman He Yadong.

Softening of stance?

Trump and U.S. treasury secretary Scott Bessent this week indicated there might be an easing in tensions with China.

This apparent softening by Trump on the hefty tariffs he has imposed since returning to office in January has led to market rebounds.

Trump continued to press for talks on Wednesday: “Maybe we’ll make a special deal, and we’ll see what it will be.”

He said: “Right now, 145 per cent [tariffs], that’s very high.”

The conflicting statements from Washington and Beijing has highlighted the strained communication and uncertainty, while making global markets volatile, and prolonging economic pain on both sides, Reuters added.

Background

Washington now imposes tariffs up to 245 per cent on some Chinese imports, notably electric vehicles and syringes.

The figure adds Trump’s new China tariffs of 145 per cent to previous levies.

China retaliated with a series of tariffs totalling 125 per cent on U.S. imports, also on top of previous levies.

Top photo via White House