It remains unclear whether President Donald Trump spoke with President Xi Jinping about tariffs on China and both sides continue to give different answers.
Last week, Trump told reporters that he was "actively" negotiating with China on a tariff deal, according to The Los Angeles Times. However, China responded, denying the claim, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent contradicted the president, stating that talks have yet to begin.
Trump reiterated that Xi had called him to discuss the negotiations.
"He's called. And I don't think that's a sign of weakness on his behalf," Trump is quoted as saying on Friday, but he didn't provide specifics, FoxNews.com pointed out.
Then, China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Xi had not spoken to Trump.
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"As far as I know, the two heads of state have not called each other recently," Guo Jiakun, a ministry spokesperson, told Reuters. "I would like to reiterate that China and the U.S. have not conducted consultations or negotiations on the tariffs issue."
The back and forth continues to be a question, and CNBC's "Squawk Box" co-host Joe Kernen asked Bessent about it Monday.
"Okay. Where are we?" asked Kernen. "I know that there are a lot of questions. We just mentioned China. Let's start with China. Where are we with China? Are there negotiations? Was there a phone call with President Xi and President Trump?"
"You know, you know, Joe, treasury secretary does a lot of things, running the White House switchboard isn't one of them," Bessent replied. "So, they, you know, all aspects of government are in contact with China. And in terms of trade negotiations, we see where this goes. But, as I've repeatedly said, I believe that it's up to China to de-escalate because they sell five times more than we sell them. And so, 125%, 145% tariffs are unsustainable."
The comment comes less than a week after the Chinese Foreign Ministry told the U.S. to be more polite, Politico reported.
“If a negotiated solution is truly what the U.S. wants, it should stop threatening and blackmailing China and seek dialogue based on equality, respect, and mutual benefit,” the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Wednesday before Bessent's speech to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “To keep asking for a deal while exerting extreme pressure is not the right way to deal with China and simply will not work.”
See the CNBC interview with Bessent below or at the link here.