President Donald Trump on April 24 denied that there were currently no trade talks between the US and China.

“They had a meeting this morning. It doesn’t matter who ‘they’ are. We can reveal it later but they had a meeting this morning and we met with China,” President Donald Trump said.

However, Beijing on April 24 denied holding trade talks with Washington.

“China and the US have not yet conducted consultations or negotiations on tariffs, let alone reached an agreement. Such reports are fake news,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun corrected.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun Correction. Photo: EPA-EFE

China’s Ministry of Commerce made similar comments on April 24.

“If the US really wants to resolve the issue, it should listen to the reasonable voices of the international community and relevant domestic parties, completely cancel all unilateral tariffs on China and find a solution through equal dialogue,” said Chinese Ministry of Commerce Spokesperson He Yadong.

Conflicting statements from Washington and Beijing underscore the tensions and uncertainty that have led to the current trade war.

US businesses are facing higher import costs, while Chinese exporters are being hit by weaker US demand.

This week, President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hinted that tensions with China could ease.

On April 23, Bessent noted that the high tariffs between the US and China need to be lowered before trade talks can begin.

The US currently imposes tariffs of up to 245% on some Chinese imports, notably electric vehicles and syringes.

In retaliation, China has imposed tariffs totaling 125% on US imports.