China exempted some U.S. imports from its steep tariffs in a sign on Friday that the trade war between the world's top two economies could be easing, though Beijing quickly knocked down U.S. President Donald Trump's assertion that negotiations were under way.

China appears to have quietly rolled back retaliatory tariffs of 125% on some semiconductors made in the United States, according to details provided to CNN on Friday by three import agencies in the southern technology hub of Shenzhen.

Levies on certain U.S.-made microchips have been dropped, importers say. Meanwhile, China denied President Trump’s claims that talks to reduce tariffs are happening.

Despite comments from U.S. President Donald Trump that he's spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping about tariffs, China maintains that no talks have taken place.