U.S. President Donald Trump asserted in an interview published Friday that tariff negotiations were underway with China, but Beijing denied any talks were taking place, the latest in a series of conflicting signals over what progress was being made to de-escalate a trade war threatening to sap global growth.

President Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had called him, and there are active talks to strike a trade deal, according to Time. But a Chinese official has denied that any such talks are happening.

The outlook of an all-out trade war between the U.S. and China remains a central question for the global economy, but the two sides appear to disagree even about whether talks have begun. President Donald Trump late Wednesday said the world’s two largest economies are “actively” discussing trade issues.

Trump's comments came in response to criticism by Democrats that some officials provided updates to traders and financial execs.