Beijing: On Monday, Beijing rejected US President Donald Trump's assertion that he had a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. 'To my knowledge, there has been no phone call between the two leaders recently,' Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun informed reporters in the Chinese capital.

According to Anadolu Agency, Guo Jiakun further emphasized that China and the US have not engaged in consultations or negotiations concerning tariff issues. This statement came in response to Trump's interview with Time magazine last week, where he claimed that Xi had "called" him, and that Washington was in 'active talks' with China to reach a deal.

Trump expressed confidence in the alleged discussions, stating that he did not view Xi's approach as a sign of weakness. He anticipated announcing a comprehensive set of deals within the next three to four weeks, suggesting that there was a mutually agreeable number for negotiations.

Despite these claims, Beijing has consistently denied any ongoing talks with Washington about a trade deal. This follows the Trump administration's imposition of 245% tariffs on Chinese imports, which prompted China to retaliate with 125% tariffs on all US imports.