Standing outside his friend’s cupcake shop, he says Donald Trump’s levies are a sign that America feels threatened by China’s rise. America’s power is declining, he says. “What you feel in today’s world is that hegemony is very hard to achieve.

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.

President Donald Trump recently claimed he spoke with President Xi Jinping regarding ongoing trade negotiations amidst the US-China trade war.