Trump says he's talked with Xi about tariffs. China has denied talks are taking place
Washington — President Trump said he's spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping amid tariff tensions with China, as China denies any talks are taking place between Beijing and Washington.
In an interview with Time magazine published Friday, Mr. Trump said Xi has called him, although the president didn't reveal when the two spoke or what Xi said. The U.S. has imposed tariff rates as high as 145% on imports from China, and China has retaliated with 125% tariffs on U.S. imports.
"At present, there are absolutely no negotiations on the economy and trade between China and the U.S.," Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson He Yadong told reporters Thursday in Mandarin, as translated by CNBC.
Asked by Time if he would call the Chinese leader if Xi doesn't call him, Mr. Trump said he would not. But when he was asked if Xi had called him, he responded, "Yep."
"He's called," Mr. Trump said. "And I don't think that's a sign of weakness on his behalf."
On Friday morning, as the president departed the White House for the Vatican to attend Pope Francis' funeral, he was asked by reporters about his remarks to Time, in particular whether he had spoken to Xi since China imposed its tariffs on the U.S. He said, "I don't want to comment on that, but I've spoken to him many times, yeah."
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said recently that no one thinks the current status quo with China is sustainable. The president was asked by Time if he agrees with that sentiment.
"Oh I agree," Mr. Trump responded. He said China "won't do any business here, because at 145%, it's going to be very rare that you see business."
The president claimed the U.S. has reached 200 deals on trade with other countries since he announced his worldwide tariffs earlier this month, but he declined to name any of the countries.
"I've made 200 deals," Mr. Trump told Time.
The president said he expects to announce the agreements in the next few weeks.
"I would say, over the next three to four weeks, and we're finished, by the way," he said.
Asked whether the deals were complete, the president responded, "We'll be finished."
Still, as Mr. Trump continues to warn of more tariffs during a 90-day pause on most new tariffs, he said he'd consider it a "total victory" if the U.S. still has tariff rates of 20%, 30% or even 50% on foreign imports a year from now.
"Because the country will be making a fortune," he said.
