Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed on Sunday that he is not aware of any recent trade talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, even as Trump says he has spoken with the Chinese president “many times.

The Treasury secretary said that the President Trump and Xi Jinping of China have a good relationship but that he was not aware of a call, which Mr. Trump had alluded to last week.

Members of Donald Trump's cabinet gave conflicting messages on Sunday about whether negotiations with China over tariffs are taking place, as the Republican president has asserted. The Trump administration signaled openness last week to de-escalating a trade war between the world's two largest economies that has raised fears of recession.