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.

China's foreign ministry said on Monday the presidents of China the United States "didn't have a call recently," when asked about Donald Trump saying in an interview with Time magazine that Xi Jinping has called him.

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,

Evidence is mounting that tariffs have curtailed economic activity and will soon push prices up, even if the effects will take time to be broadly felt

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday did not back President Donald Trump's assertion that tariff talks with China were under way and said he did not know if the U.S. president had talked to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Members of Donald Trump's cabinet gave conflicting messages on Sunday about whether negotiations with China over tariffs are taking place, as the Republican president has asserted. The Trump administration signaled openness last week to de-escalating a trade war between the world's two largest economies that has raised fears of recession.