China insists no tariff talks underway with Trump and Xi or top aides, despite U.S. claims
- China has again denied that it is in talks with Washington to resolve its trade war with the U.S.
- President Donald Trump and his aides have suggested trade negotiations are underway.
- Business owners and analysts warn that the tariff war is already driving prices higher, with product shortages and store closures expected soon.
China on Monday once again denied that it is in talks to resolve its tariff war with the United States, after a series of statements by President Donald Trump and his aides suggesting trade negotiations were underway.
“Let me make it clear one more time that China and the U.S. are not engaged in any consultation or negotiation on tariffs,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press conference.
Guo also appeared to reject Trump’s claim, in an interview with TIME last week, that Chinese President Xi Jinping had called him.
“As far as I know, there have not been any calls between the two presidents recently,” the spokesman said.
The latest blanket denial was in line with Beijing’s hardline stance against Trump’s massive 145% tariffs on imports from China, a top supplier of U.S. goods.
Trump administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, insist that the U.S. is better positioned to win a trade war than China is.
But American business owners and analysts are raising alarms that the effective trade embargo with China could soon result in major economic consequences, including higher prices, product shortages and store closures.
