US President Donald Trump said he had spoken to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping since taking office on January 20, but did not offer details on the topics of their conversation.

Trump made the comments in an interview aired on Fox News on Monday.

"Yeah... I have talked to him and I have talked to his people, too," Trump said when asked if he has spoken to President Xi since his inauguration last month.

"We have a very good personal relationship," Trump added.

He did not provide details on when exactly the call happened or what was discussed.

Last week, Trump said he was in no hurry to speak to Xi to try to defuse a new trade war between the world's two largest economies.

A conversation between Xi and Trump is seen as crucial to a potential easing or delay of trade tariffs.

China imposed targeted tariffs on US imports last week and put several companies, including Alphabet's Google, on notice for possible sanctions, in a measured response to Trump's across-the-board 10 percent duties, which had come on top of prior tariffs. (Reuters)