Trump says Xi Jinping called him amid tariff tussle: 'I don't think that's a sign of weakness...'

President Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping called him and he doesn't think it was a sign of weakness on his behalf. Trump said this in an interview given on Tuesday to TIME for its exclusive 'Inside Trump's First 100 Days' published Friday morning. The claim of the call comes as the US and China are locked in a bitter battle of tariffs with no country giving in. But while the US says negotiations with China are on, the Chinese side has dismissed it.

'Will you call President Xi if he doesn’t call you?' Trump was asked. 'No,' he replied. 'Has he called you yet?' he was asked. The answer was positive. 'When did he call you?' Trump was asked. "He's called. And I don't think that's a sign of weakness on his behalf," Trump said.

"If people want to–well, we all want to make deals. But I am this giant store. It's a giant, beautiful store, and everybody wants to go shopping there. And on behalf of the American people, I own the store, and I set prices, and I'll say, if you want to shop here, this is what you have to pay," Trump said.

Has China 'quietly' rolled back tariffs on some US products amid tariff war? Here's what we know

Import agencies have claimed that China appeared to have rolled back its retaliatory tariffs of 125 per cent on some semiconductors made in the US quietly amid the ongoing tariff war, CNN reported. The roll-back was not officially announced, the report confirmed.

China raised its reciprocal tariffs to 125 per cent for all goods originating from the United States and officially dismissed any suggestions of negotiations going on with the US. Chinese authorities have not confirmed the exemptions on semiconductors publicly. The General Administration of Customs and the customs offices in Shenzhen and Zhongshan, both port cities in Guangdong province, said they were not aware of the exemptions.