Donald Trump denied China’s claim that they had not met to discuss a trade war earlier in the day, and said there had been meetings.
“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 said on Thursday that it has not engaged in trade discussions with Washington, despite the repeated statements from the U.S. Government suggesting otherwise.
At a press briefing, Guo Jiakun, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told reporters that China and the United States had not held consultations or conducted negotiations on tariffs.
This week, both Trump and Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent hinted at a possible easing of tensions with China. The White House imposed tariffs of 145% on Chinese goods earlier this month, prompting Beijing’s response with its duties and increased restrictions on vital minerals exported to the United States.