Trump has held up tariffs as a negotiating tool with China and claimed talks are ongoing, but Beijing says so far there have not been any negotiations.

China's foreign ministry on Monday said President Xi Jinping had not spoken to Donald Trump recently, nor were their respective administrations trying to strike a tariff deal, contradicting the U.S. president's claim in an interview with Time magazine.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has not spoken to US President Donald Trump on the phone recently, Beijing said Monday, reiterating that no talks are taking place between the two countries to resolve their tariff war.