Trump said he received a call from Xi Jinping, but did not elaboratewhen

Trump claims Xi Jinping (right) called him, but did not disclose the call

Time and content. (AFP)

US President Trump said on the issue of tariffs that China

President Xi Jinping has called him.

Trump in Time > Weekly Friday (April 25)

When discussing the tariff issue in an interview published by

Jinping has called him, but he did not disclose the conversation between the two.

date and content.

In an exclusive interview, Eric Cortellessa, senior political reporter for Time magazine, and Sam Jacobs, editor-in-chief, asked Trump: "If Xi Jinping doesn't call you, will you call him?"

Trump said: "No."

The reporter asked again: "Did he call you?"

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Trump replied: “Yes.”

However, when asked about the specific date of the call, Trump did not directly answer the question, but said: "He called me. I don't think this means he is showing weakness."

He also indicated that if he called Xi Jinping, he would not consider it a sign of weakness.

Beijing has not yet responded to Trump's latest remarks. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously stated that the news about China and the United States negotiating is fake.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular press conference earlier on Friday that China and the United States were not holding consultations or negotiations on the tariff issue, and he urged the United States not to confuse the public.

After Trump won the presidential election last year, Xi Jinping sent him a congratulatory message on November 7; the two also spoke on the phone before Trump officially took office on January 17 this year. It is not clear whether the above statement by Trump refers to the call before his inauguration.

Shortly after the interview was released, Trump met with reporters at the White House late Friday and reiterated that he had spoken with Xi Jinping, but still did not disclose the time, but said that details would be disclosed at the "appropriate time."

Trump claimed in the Time interview that he had made 200 deals after announcing a 90-day tariff suspension. He also compared the United States to a "department store": "Look at it another way: We are a department store and we set the prices. I meet with the business and I set a fair price, and I think it's a fair price, and they can pay it or not."

The weekly reporter also asked what Xi Jinping said during the call, and Trump replied: "If people want to - we all want to make a deal, but I am this huge store. This is a huge and beautiful store, and everyone wants to come here to shop. As a representative of the American people, I own this store, I set the price, and I will say, if you want to shop here, this is the price you have to pay."