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.

China's firm opposition and countermeasures to the United States' (U.S.) so-called "reciprocal tariffs" are aimed not only at safeguarding its own national interests, but also at defending the multilateral trading system and upholding international justice, said Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom (UK) Zheng Zeguang on Thursday.

President Donald Trump said his administration was talking with China on trade, after Beijing denied the existence of negotiations on a deal and demanded the US revoke all unilateral tariffs.