Washington D.C.- – U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone on Friday, marking their first direct conversation in three months. At the heart of their discussion: the future of TikTok in the United States and renewed efforts to cool a long-simmering trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
TikTok’s Fate Tied to U.S.–China Deal
The call came as both sides weigh a tentative framework that could allow TikTok to remain accessible to American users. Beijing’s approval of the deal is a crucial hurdle, especially as Congress has ordered ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to divest its U.S. assets by January 2025 or face a nationwide ban.
Trump, who has declined to enforce the shutdown while negotiations continue, was candid about his political calculus. “I like TikTok; it helped get me elected,” he told reporters Thursday. “TikTok has tremendous value. The United States has that value in its hand because we’re the ones that have to approve it.”
While the proposed deal envisions U.S. ownership of TikTok’s domestic operations, ByteDance would reportedly continue supplying the app’s algorithm—an arrangement that raises fresh concerns among U.S. lawmakers worried about national security and Beijing’s potential influence. China has consistently rejected claims that TikTok poses any threat.
Beyond TikTok: Trade, Tariffs, and Fentanyl
The leaders’ exchange also touched on broader economic issues. Trump signaled optimism, suggesting Washington and Beijing were “pretty close to a deal,” though he acknowledged that any extension would likely be under current trade terms.
Key sticking points remain: the U.S. has pushed for greater Chinese purchases of soybeans and Boeing aircraft, tighter controls on fentanyl-related chemical exports, and more openness in advanced technologies like semiconductors. China, meanwhile, has retaliated with its own restrictions, including cutting off rare-earth magnet supplies vital for U.S. high-tech manufacturing.
Tariffs remain the sharpest weapon in Trump’s economic arsenal. Since returning to office in January, he has hiked duties to levels not seen in nearly a century, triggering tit-for-tat retaliation from Beijing. Although temporary deals in recent months paused the tariff war, tensions continue to hang over both economies, each grappling with slower growth.
Diplomacy Amid Flashpoints
Friday’s call may set the stage for an in-person meeting between Trump and Xi at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea from October 30 to November 1. Such a summit could provide much-needed direction on flashpoints ranging from Taiwan to the South China Sea—issues often overshadowed in Washington by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
In a goodwill gesture ahead of the call, Beijing allowed Wells Fargo banker Chenyue Mao, who had been barred from leaving China for months, to return to the U.S.
Chinese officials framed the leaders’ exchange as essential. “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.
As the world watches closely, the coming weeks could determine whether TikTok survives in America and whether Trump and Xi can dial down tensions—or whether trade and technology disputes once again escalate into open confrontation.
