"Yeah, we're talking to China," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "I would say they have reached out a number of times."

Trump confirmed that the talks had happened since he upped tariffs on China to a whopping 145 percent, after Beijing retaliated to his sweeping "Liberation Day" worldwide levies.

But Trump was cagey when asked if he had spoken directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping, despite having dropped several hints in the past that he has.

"I've never said whether or not they've happened," he said when asked about talks with Xi. "It's just not appropriate."

Pressed by reporters whether Xi had reached out to him, Trump replied: "You'd think it was pretty obvious that he has, but we will talk about that soon."

Trump's administration is locked in a war of sky-high reciprocal tariffs with superpower rival China that has unnerved world markets.

"I think we're going to make a very good deal with China," he said at the White House earlier as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited for talks aimed at ending US tariffs on the European Union.