China denies trade talks with the United States:
Despite President Donald Trump’s assertion that he had received a call from Xi Jinping, China reiterated on Saturday that it has not had any trade-related discussions with the United States.
In an April 22 interview with Time magazine that was released on Friday, Trump did not specify the time of the call with the Chinese leader or the subject matter of the conversation.
“He’s called,” declared Trump. “And I don’t think that’s a sign of weakness on his behalf.”
On Thursday, China’s commerce ministry had already denied that Washington and Beijing were negotiating trade or economic issues.
“There have been no consultations or negotiations between China and the United States on tariff issues, let alone any agreement,” Beijing’s embassy in the US capital reiterated in a statement published on WeChat on Saturday.
The statement said that US statements that a tariff dialogue was ongoing were “nothing but misleading,” but it did not specifically identify Trump or Xi or make reference to Trump’s assertion of a call.
“This trade war was initiated by the US side,” the statement claimed.
“If 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.”
Trump’s tariffs on Chinese goods, which have increased to 145% on certain items, have set off a fierce trade war between the two largest economies in the world.
In the next weeks, Trump is expected to make announcements on agreements with US trading partners.
Source: Khaleej Times
