China for 2nd Day Denies Trump Claim That It Phoned US Urging Trade Talks Resume

A Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson denied knowledge for a second straight day of China's top trade negotiators phoning their U.S. counterparts over the weekend urging the resumption of talks toward a comprehensive trade deal, as President Donald Trump claimed they had on the sidelines of the G7 summit (see 1908250001). “I'm not aware of the two phone calls over the weekend that the U.S. side talked about,” said the spokesperson Tuesday. “The two sides have held 12 rounds of high-level consultations and the two teams have remained in contact,” he said. “Regrettably, however, the U.S. recently decided to add new tariffs on Chinese goods as a measure to impose maximum pressure, which is not constructive at all as it serves no one's interests.” China hopes the U.S. “will remain calm, return to reason, and immediately stop its wrong approach.” The spokesperson declined to answer a reporter's question about when the next round of negotiations will take place. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative didn’t comment.