In a highly anticipated phone call on Friday, US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, addressed the future of the popular video app TikTok and ongoing trade discussions. The call, which began around 8 am Washington time, marked their second conversation since Trump’s return to the White House in January.
The fate of TikTok’s US operations was a central topic. The app, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, faced a ban for US users under a law passed by Congress that mandated a sale of its American assets by January 2025. While Trump had repeatedly delayed the deadline, he has also been negotiating a potential deal that would see TikTok’s US business sold to a consortium of American investors. A framework agreement was reportedly reached earlier this week in Madrid, and the phone call was expected to finalize the details and secure Beijing’s approval.
Beyond TikTok, the two leaders also discussed broader trade relations, which have been strained by new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Both sides have been engaged in talks to de-escalate tensions and are reportedly “very close to deals.”
The call is seen as a key step in navigating the complex relationship between the world’s two largest economies and could potentially set the stage for an in-person summit between Trump and Xi.