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Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had “called” him, despite denials from Beijing that talks to ease trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies had started.
The US president also made the claim that he had sealed “200 deals” on trade, even though no such pacts have been announced.
“You have to understand, I’m dealing with all the companies, very friendly countries. We’re meeting with China. We’re doing fine with everybody. But ultimately, I’ve made all the deals,” Trump said in an interview with Time Magazine published on Friday.
Trump said of the Chinese president: “He’s called. And I don’t think that’s a sign of weakness on his behalf.”
However, several people familiar with the situation said Xi had not called Trump.
In his Time interview, the US president also insisted that “100 per cent” he had done 200 trade deals with countries across the globe, even though none have been announced. But he also suggested that they could be unveiled in the next month. “Over the next three to four weeks . . . we’re finished, by the way,” he said.
On Friday morning, as he left Washington for Rome to attend the funeral of Pope Francis, Trump was asked to clarify whether he had spoken to Xi since the US imposed bruising tariffs of up to 145 per cent on Chinese imports, triggering a trade war that has rattled financial markets.
“I don’t want to comment on that, but I’ve spoken to him many times,” Trump said.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has made multiple claims about contacts between the US and China that have later been questioned.
Trump said last month that Xi was planning to visit the US and would be “coming in the not too distant future”. But people familiar with the matter said there had been no conversations between Washington and Beijing about a summit.
On multiple occasions Trump has also referred to trade talks between the countries, even though these are yet to take place, according to people in Washington and Beijing.
“China and the US are NOT having any consultation or negotiation on #tariffs. The US should stop creating confusion,” the Chinese foreign ministry posted on X on Friday.
Chinese officials have also stressed that any trade negotiations in the future would have to be held at the working level and that the two countries would have to reach some kind of tentative agreement before Beijing would agree to set up a phone call or meeting with Xi.
When asked what Xi had told him in the conversation that Trump claims happened, the US president referred to the power he had as gatekeeper for the US consumer market. “It’s a giant, beautiful store, and everybody wants to go shopping there. And on behalf of the American people, I own the store, and I set prices, and I’ll say, if you want to shop here, this is what you have to pay,” Trump told Time.
