China repeated Saturday that it had held no talks with the United States on trade issues, despite President Donald Trump\u2019s claim that he had taken a call from Xi Jinping. In an interview conducted on 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. \u201cHe\u2019s called,\u201d Trump said. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a sign of weakness on his behalf.\u201d China\u2019s commerce ministry had already denied on Thursday that Beijing and Washington were conducting economic or trade negotiations. In a statement posted on WeChat Saturday, Beijing\u2019s embassy in the US capital repeated that assertion, saying \u201cthere have been no consultations or negotiations between China and the United States on tariff issues, let alone any agreement\u201d. The statement did not mention Trump or Xi by name or directly reference Trump\u2019s claim of a call, but said remarks by the United States that a dialogue on tariffs was ongoing were \u201cnothing but misleading\u201d. \u201cThis trade war was initiated by the US side,\u201d the statement said. \u201cIf the US truly wants to resolve the issue through dialogue, it must first correct its mistakes, stop threatening and pressuring others, and completely remove all unilateral tariff measures against China.\u201d The world\u2019s two biggest economies are locked in an escalating tit-for-tat trade battle triggered by Trump\u2019s levies on Chinese goods, which have reached 145 percent on many products. Trump suggested he will announce deals with US trading partners in the next few weeks. \u201cThere\u2019s a number at which they will feel comfortable,\u201d Trump told Time, referring to China. \u201cBut you can\u2019t let them make a trillion dollars on us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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