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.

Beijing and Washington have contradicted each other about whether President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have spoken in recent weeks regarding the newly placed tariffs. The president has said they’ve been in communication to discuss the back-and-forth tariffs that rocked the global markets,

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that China needs to de-escalate the U.S.-China trade war — of which President Donald Trump has largely stoked the flames.