Did Trump lie? Analysts on why Xi Jinping wouldn't have called the US for tariff negotiations

China has rubbished US President Donald Trump's claim that Chinese President Xi Jinping had called him, stating that there has been no engagement between the countries with regard to the tariff. 

 

A statement by Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said: "To my knowledge, there has been no phone call between the two heads of state recently. I would like to reiterate that China and the US have not engaged in consultations or negotiations regarding tariff issues."

 

China's statement cast doubt over a remark made by Trump in his Time Magazine interview. "[Xi]’s called. And I don’t think that’s a sign of weakness on his behalf,” Trump said last week. "We're meeting with China. We're doing fine with everybody. But ultimately, I've made all the deals."

 

Though the Trump administration continues to claim that Chinese officials have been in talks with the US over the tariff, Beijing has not acknowledged it. The Chinese Embassy in Washington urged the Trump administration not to mislead the public on bilateral tariff negotiations. 

 

Before Trump's latest remarks were published, it had urged Washington to stop "misleading the public" on bilateral tariff negotiations, a comment reiterated by Beijing's embassy in Washington.

 

While Trump's statement left many baffled, many regional analysts think it is unlikely that Xi would have called Trump. King's College London business lecturer Xin Sun told ABC News that it was "highly unlikely" that Xi would get in touch with Trump as it would mean China buckled under pressure. "For any political leader in China, this would have very serious consequences for their own political stability," Sun said, adding that this would "signal weaknesses and vulnerability to possible political opponents." 

 

He added that the Trump administration has a strong political incentive to claim that China is in talks with the US. This could also be a "preventive move" if Trump wanted to make retreats regarding tariffs on China. 

 

Scott Kennedy, a senior adviser on Chinese business and economics at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in the US, too echoed the sentiment. "I don't think the two have communicated directly with each other since they spoke on January 17," he said, adding that Trump's statement was aimed to reassure markets. 

 

However, Kennedy believes there could have been "low-level communications" but very unlikely to be ongoing negotiations.  That said, there could be a thaw after China quietly exempted some US goods from the import levies. Exempting some goods from the tariff, China is reportedly asking firms to identify critical goods they need levy-free.

World