China says no talks are underway with the U.S.; Kudlow hedges

China on Friday disputed U.S. officials' claims that Beijing is engaged in trade talks with the U.S. that might obviate Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods. “We have noticed that many U.S. officials have hinted that the two sides are in talks, but that is not the real case,” Gao Feng, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Commerce, said at a press conference on Friday, according to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency. According to Reuters , Feng added that “Under...