China on Monday denied U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims that he had received a phone call from Chinese President Xi Jinping, also asserting that no negotiations regarding tariffs had taken place with the United States, despite the U.S. administration’s assertions, according to the South China Morning Post.
اضافة اعلان
Last week, Trump said in an interview with Time magazine: “Xi called, and I don’t think this is a sign of weakness on his part.”
The U.S. administration reiterated last week that President Trump had a phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart and that trade talks occurred between the two countries. However, Beijing continued to deny that any such conversations had taken place.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said, “To my knowledge, no recent phone call has occurred between the leaders of the two countries.”
He added, "I would like to stress that China and the United States have not engaged in any consultations or talks regarding tariffs."
Trump: I Spoke to Xi Several Times
In his Time magazine interview, Trump stated that President Xi had called him and indicated that his administration was conducting discussions with Beijing to reach an agreement on tariffs.
After the interview was published, Trump told reporters he had spoken to Xi “several times,” but he did not specify when the last conversation took place or what topics were discussed.
When asked if he had spoken with Xi after announcing his tariff plan, Trump replied, “I don't want to comment on that, but I have spoken to him many times.”
China again denied on Friday that any trade talks with the U.S. had occurred. Meanwhile, The Financial Times cited sources familiar with the situation in Washington and Beijing, stating that “Xi has not called Trump.”
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly mentioned communications with China, including a March statement claiming that Xi was planning a visit to the United States. However, informed sources said there had been no discussions between Washington and Beijing about organizing a summit.
Escalation of the Trade War
The lack of tangible communication efforts has frozen serious dialogue between the two countries and threatens to weaken chances of reaching a near-term resolution.
Former U.S. State Department officials said Trump had refused to allow White House envoys to negotiate with Chinese officials in Beijing to ease tensions, insisting instead on direct talks with President Xi.
The U.S. Senate has not yet confirmed a new ambassador to China, and Trump has not appointed anyone else to lead negotiations with Beijing. Furthermore, the White House has not reached out to the Chinese embassy to initiate discussions.
Ryan Hass, former Director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia Affairs at the National Security Council under President Barack Obama (2009–2017), told Politico:
"Backchannel communications are not functioning because President Trump doesn’t want them to. He prefers to deal directly with President Xi, similar to how he handled President Putin. I don't think he is interested in conveying his views through intermediaries."
Although Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to talk or meet with Xi to ease trade tensions, the Chinese leader appears to have largely ignored these attempts.
According to Politico, Beijing is likely cautious about responding to Trump’s demands for a conversation with Xi, fearing the Chinese leader might lose the upper hand, especially if Trump turns the meeting into a public spectacle.
Hass added:
“The Chinese bureaucracy would never allow their president to be put in a position where he could be surprised or humiliated. After the Zelensky incident, they are extremely vigilant about the possibility of Xi being embarrassed, undermined, or forced into an agreement that could collapse publicly.”
(Sources: Agencies)
