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 continues to be willing to endure economic hardship to put pressure on the U.S., even as the Trump administration hints at a more conciliatory approach.

President Donald Trump, whose trade war with China has rattled financial markets and threatened to disrupt huge swaths of trade, suggested Friday that he had been in touch with Xi Jinping, China's president,