Given that the article included this:
"Chinese officials didn’t immediately confirm or deny Mr. Trump’s assertion, with a Foreign Ministry spokesman on Monday sidestepping questions on auto tariffs."
I'd be very skeptical.
Between the subtleties of translation, cultural differences and the Chinese propensity to deceive I'd wait to claim victory until the tariffs were actually reduced.
I’d take the article as written, the Chinese agent saying they are working on moving the tariffs to zero.
You can choose and select all you want, but denial isn’t exactly accurate either.