U.S. President Donald Trump asserted in an interview published on Friday that tariff negotiations were under way with China, but Beijing denied any talks were taking place, the latest in a series of conflicting signals over what progress was being made to de-escalate a trade war threatening to sap global growth.

President Donald Trump has said that Chinese President Xi Jinping has called him but did not say if any of those communications took place since he imposed stiff tariffs on the communist nation.

A lawyer for New York Attorney General Letitia James is pushing back against claims of mortgage fraud by the Trump administration. President Donald Trump spoke with reporters about a range of issues on his way to Pope Francis' funeral.

President Donald Trump misjudged Beijing by calculating that it would cave into economic pressure, leaving the US unprepared to handle the current tariff standoff, according to an adviser to China’s Foreign Ministry.

The Trump administration has been saying that the two countries are engaged in talks to resolve the dispute, but Beijing asserts that no such discussions are happening.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China called for all "unilateral" U.S. tariffs to be cancelled on Thursday, as signs emerged that the Trump administration may de-escalate its trade war with Beijing. China also clarified it has not held trade talks with Washington despite repeated comments from the U.S. government suggesting there had been engagement.