Bessent Unaware of Any Trade Talks Between Trump and Xi

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent disclosed on Sunday that he has no knowledge of any recent developments. trade talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping , despite Trump stating that he has communicated with the Chinese president multiple times.

"I'm unsure whether President Trump has communicated with President Xi. They do share a strong rapport and mutual respect, yet I believe that the Chinese authorities will realize these elevated tariffs aren’t viable for their economic strategy," said Bessent. said On ABC News' "This Week."

Although he had no knowledge of discussions between the two global heads of state, Bessent mentioned that he conversed with his Chinese peer during the IMF and World Bank gatherings in Washington, D.C., the previous week.

"I engaged with my Chinese colleague, focusing primarily on conventional topics such as fiscal security and international economic alerts. I am not sure whether President Trump has communicated with President Xi," he mentioned additionally.

Shortly before the weekend, Trump revealed He mentioned speaking with Xi but chose not to share specifics about their discussions since they're awaiting a trade agreement. Meanwhile, China maintains that no such talks have taken place.

On Sunday, when questioned regarding China’s denials of any discussions, Bessent stated, “I believe they’re catering to a distinct crowd.”

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China and the U.S. are engaged in a tariff dispute following President Trump’s “Liberation Day” declaration in early April. Although most of these retaliatory tariffs have been put on hold, the duties imposed on China remain in place at an elevated rate of 145%.

Bessent maintained that Chinese authorities are aware these rates are "unsustainable" and will eventually have to engage in talks.