US President Donald Trump on Friday hailed a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, suggesting that a deal to sell the popular app TikTok could be a “formality” and announcing plans to visit China. China, however, offered a more cautious assessment of the discussions. The call marked the second conversation between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies since Trump’s return to the White House. Trump, who has previously criticized China harshly, has sought to ease tensions. The United States has been pushing to remove TikTok, the social media platform widely used by young Americans and by Trump himself for political outreach, from Chinese ownership. Trump said Xi “approved” the deal during the call but added, “We have to get it signed… I guess it could be a formality.” China did not confirm any agreement. “We’re going to have very tight control,” Trump said. “There’s tremendous value with TikTok, and I’m a little prejudiced because I frankly did so well on it.” He also noted that Xi pledged to work with the US on efforts to end the war in Ukraine, where China has been accused by Western nations of indirectly supporting Russia, although Beijing maintains it is neutral. Trump earlier posted on Truth Social that he and Xi “made progress on many very important issues,” including TikTok. He plans to meet Xi on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea at the end of next month and will visit China next year. Xi is also expected to visit the US at an unspecified date, with further phone calls planned. China, meanwhile, took a more measured stance. A statement said, “On the TikTok issue, Xi noted that China’s position is clear: the Chinese government respects the will of enterprises and welcomes them to conduct business negotiations based on market rules, to reach solutions that balance interests and comply with Chinese laws and regulations.” “China hopes the US side will provide an open, fair, and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies investing in the United States,” it added. It described the call as “frank and in-depth.” Last year, during Joe Biden’s presidency, the US Congress passed a law to force TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to sell its US operations or face the app’s ban, citing national security concerns. US policymakers, including in Trump’s first term, have warned that China could use TikTok to mine data from Americans or exert influence on what they see on social media. But Trump, an avid social media user, on Tuesday once again put off a ban of the app. In a statement early on Saturday, ByteDance thanked Xi and Trump “for their concern about TikTok.” “ByteDance will move forward with the relevant work in accordance with Chinese law, ensuring that TikTok US continues to serve its vast American user base,” the company said. Investors reportedly being eyed to take over the app include Oracle, the tech firm owned by Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest people. Ellison is a supporter of Trump, meaning TikTok could become the latest media or social media app to come under the influence of the president. China “hardball” Wendy Cutler, a former US trade official who is now senior vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute, said that many details, including who would control the algorithm powering TikTok, were still unclear and many other irritants remained. “Beijing is displaying a willingness to play hardball, and a need to get paid by Washington for any concessions it makes,” she said. While on the campaign trail, Trump bashed China relentlessly as an enemy, but since returning to office he has spoken of his strong relationship with Xi. Both sides dramatically hiked tariffs against each other during a months-long dispute earlier this year, disrupting global supply chains. Washington and Beijing then reached a deal to reduce levies, with the United States imposing 30 percent duties on imports of Chinese goods and China hitting US products with a 10 percent tariff. The deal expires in November. The phone talks came after Trump accused Xi of conspiring against the United States with a major military parade to mark the end of World War II that brought the leaders of Russia and North Korea to Beijing. The Chinese statement said Xi voiced appreciation to Trump for the US role in World War II.
TikTok deal moving forward, Trump announces China trip
