Trump, Xi Jinping Discuss TikTok Future, US-China Trade
On Friday, US President Donald Trump and China’s leader Xi Jinping spoke by phone, with expectations they would finalize the future of the immensely popular video app TikTok and discuss trade issues. Chinese state media CCTV and the Xinhua news agency confirmed the call had begun.
Trump previewed the discussions on Thursday, telling Fox News the talks would cover “TikTok and also trade.” He expressed optimism, stating, “We’re very close to deals on all of it. And my relationship with China is very good.”
This was their second phone call since Trump started his second term in January. On June 5, Trump said Xi invited him to visit China, and he extended a reciprocal invitation for Xi to visit the US.
Although no travel arrangements have been made, several analysts anticipated Xi would reiterate the offer, appealing to Trump’s fondness for grand receptions abroad.
Regarding TikTok, Ali Wyne, a US-China relations expert at the International Crisis Group, said each leader would try to demonstrate an upper hand in tariff-focused trade talks.
The two may resolve the ongoing TikTok issue after Trump repeatedly delayed a ban under a US law aimed at forcing the Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell its US operations for national security concerns.
Trump told reporters Thursday he hoped to “finalize something on TikTok.” He described a deal under which TikTok’s US business would be “owned by all American investors, and very rich people and companies.” Trump believes TikTok helped boost his support among younger voters, contributing to his 2024 election win.
The president again delayed enforcing a ban on the app on Tuesday—a ban put in place under his predecessor, Joe Biden. The Wall Street Journal reported a consortium including tech giant Oracle and two California investment funds, Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz, might control TikTok’s US operations.
The call took place as the world’s two largest economies sought a compromise on tariffs. Earlier this year, both countries imposed substantial tariffs during a dispute that disrupted global supply chains.
They later agreed to reduce these levies, but the deal expires in November, with the US applying 30% duties on Chinese imports and China imposing a 10% tariff on US goods.
The conversation also followed a major summit Xi held this month with the leaders of Russia and India, and his invitation to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to attend a significant military parade in Beijing.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote, “Please give my warmest regards to (Russian President) Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un as you conspire against the United States of America.”
Trump has imposed punitive tariffs on India for purchasing Russian oil and called on European countries to sanction China for buying Russian oil, though the US has not sanctioned Beijing directly.
He told Fox News, “If they did that in China, I think the war (in Ukraine) would maybe end.”
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