Washington — President Trump said he “made progress” on the approval of a deal to resolve ownership of TikTok during a “very productive” conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday morning.
During the call, which was set up to finalize an agreement over the popular social media platform, Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social that he agreed to visit China “in the early part of next year.” Xi and Mr. Trump also agreed that the Chinese president will visit the U.S. “at an appropriate time,” and will meet at the APEC Summit in South Korea in November, the president said.
“The call was a very good one, we will be speaking again by phone, appreciate the TikTok approval, and both look forward to meeting at APEC!” Mr. Trump wrote.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Monday that U.S. and Chinese negotiators had arrived at a framework for an agreement to resolve the matter of TikTok’s ownership. And Friday’s call between Mr. Trump and Xi was meant to “complete the deal,” in Bessent’s words.
It’s not yet clear if a deal was in fact finalized, however. A statement by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs summarizing the call didn’t say a deal is complete. The minstry said Beijing will “support their teams in reaching a proper deal on TikTok through consultation.”
Mr. Trump has allowed TikTok to operate in the U.S., even establishing a White House TikTok account, despite a federal law forcing TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to divest from TikTok or face a ban in the U.S. That law was upheld by the Supreme Court in a 9-0 decision in June. But the president has repeatedly delayed enforcement of the law through executive action.
The two leaders have had ups and downs in their relationship. The U.S. president has said he holds “great respect” for Xi, while often voicing frustration with China’s trade practices. Xi also raised eyebrows this summer with a show of unity with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who walked alongside Xi as he showcased missiles, drones and advanced weapons systems in China’s largest-ever military parade.
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