U.S. President Donald Trump praised a recent phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying it marked progress on several key issues, including a potential deal to sell the social‑media platform TikTok. The leaders spoke by telephone for the second time since Trump’s return to the White House, amid ongoing efforts to ease tensions between the world’s two largest economies. The United States has been pushing to remove TikTok from Chinese ownership on national‑security grounds. Trump claimed that Xi “approved” a deal during the call, but later cautioned that it still needs to be signed, describing the approval as possibly a “formality.” China, however, did not confirm any agreement, stating that it respects the will of enterprises and welcomes business negotiations based on market rules.
The conversation also covered the war in Ukraine, with Trump saying Xi promised to work with the United States to bring the conflict to an end. Trump announced plans to meet Xi on the sidelines of the Asia‑Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea next month and to travel to China next year, while Xi is expected to visit the United States at an unspecified time. China offered a more cautious assessment of the talks, describing the call as “frank and in‑depth” and emphasizing its hope that the U.S. will provide an open, fair and non‑discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies investing in America.
The potential sale of TikTok has been a major point of contention. Last year, Congress passed a law requiring TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operations or face a ban, citing concerns that China could use the platform to harvest American data or influence content. Details remain unclear, including who would control TikTok’s algorithm. Former U.S. trade official Wendy Cutler noted that Beijing is showing a willingness to play hardball and is seeking concessions from Washington.
These developments occur against a backdrop of heightened U.S.–China tensions, with both sides having sharply increased tariffs on each other in recent months. A deal to reduce those levies was reached earlier this year, but it is set to expire in November.
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