U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday did not back President Donald Trump's assertion that tariff talks with China were under way and said he did not know if the U.S. president had talked to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at a closed-door JPMorgan investor summit that he expects trade tensions with China to de-escalate, according to people in the room Tuesday for his remarks. Bessent told attendees that although negotiations haven't started,