China’s government flat-out said on Monday that President Xi Jinping has not spoken with President Trump recently, killing any idea once again that the two leaders were secretly chatting to fix their trade war.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied reports of a phone conversation between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, as mentioned by the U.S. President. Main information The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied any phone conversation between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump.

The Chinese foreign ministry on Monday, said President Xi Jinping had not spoken to Donald Trump recently, nor were their respective administrations trying to strike a tariff deal. This is in contradiction to the US president’s claim in an interview with Time magazine that he and the Chinese president had spoken.