U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone call on Friday, their first known conversation in three months, as both leaders work toward a deal that could keep TikTok available to American users and defuse escalating trade tensions.
According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, the discussion focused on finalizing a framework agreement for TikTok’s U.S. operations and advancing trade negotiations. The White House has yet to release details of the call.
The deal, if completed, would see TikTok’s U.S. assets transferred to American ownership while continuing to use ByteDance’s powerful algorithm. This arrangement has raised concerns among U.S. lawmakers, who worry Beijing could retain influence over the app and potentially use it for surveillance or propaganda.
Congress had earlier mandated that TikTok be shut down for U.S. users by January 2025 if its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, failed to divest its U.S. holdings. Trump has delayed enforcing the law, arguing that a ban could alienate TikTok’s massive user base and disrupt online political messaging.
“I like TikTok; it helped get me elected,” Trump said in a press briefing Thursday. “TikTok has tremendous value, and the United States has that value in its hand because we’re the ones that have to approve it.”
The TikTok negotiations are unfolding alongside broader trade talks between Washington and Beijing. Since returning to office in January, Trump has sharply raised tariffs, pushing rates on Chinese imports to their highest levels in nearly a century. China retaliated with its own tariffs, sparking a new wave of economic friction.
The U.S. is also demanding stronger Chinese action against fentanyl-related chemical exports, which Washington blames for fueling the opioid crisis. Additionally, Washington seeks increased Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural products and Boeing airplanes.
Despite tensions, analysts see signs of cautious progress. China recently allowed Wells Fargo banker Chenyue Mao — who had been barred from leaving the country for months — to return to the United States, a gesture seen as goodwill ahead of a possible in-person summit between Trump and Xi at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea from October 30 to November 1.
“Heads-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance for China-U.S. relations,” said Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington.
With tariffs, technology disputes, and security concerns still unresolved, the TikTok deal could become a symbolic first step toward cooling the increasingly fraught relationship between the world’s two largest economies.
