South Korea's Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun said on Saturday that Seoul plans to approach trade talks with the United States "calmly and cautiously."

South Koreas Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun said Seoul will approach trade negotiations with the United States calmly and cautiously, emphasizing a strategic stance as discussions move forward. Speaking to reporters

The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said that South Korea and the United States agreed to seek "expedient and meaningful" progress toward "reciprocal and balanced" trade during a bilateral meeting in Washington the previous day.

U.S. President Donald Trump asserted in an interview published on Friday that tariff negotiations were under way 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.

The outlook of an all-out trade war between the U.S. and China remains a central question for the global economy, but the two sides appear to disagree even about whether talks have begun. President Donald Trump late Wednesday said the world’s two largest economies are “actively” discussing trade issues.

President Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had called him, and there are active talks to strike a trade deal, according to Time. But a Chinese official has denied that any such talks are happening.