A senior administration official told CNBC on Friday that there was "zero" engagement between the Trump administration and China as the two countries ratchet up trade tensions.

The official said that there had been "one call in the past few days," and that it resolved nothing. When asked what level of engagement the two countries were maintaining, the official made the shape of a zero with his hand.

The market had jumped earlier in the week on reports that the U.S. and China were re-engaging. While the official acknowledged a high-level phone call had taken place in recent days, he said it had provided no resolution and followed a monthlong period of radio silence between the countries.