US President Donald Trump said he would meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a regional summit taking place at the end of October in South Korea and will visit China in the “early part of next year,” following a phone call between the two on Friday.
In a Truth Social post, Trump also said Xi would come to the United States “at an appropriate time” and that they had made progress on “the approval of the TikTok Deal” to allow the popular social media app to keep operating in the United States.
“The call was a very good one, we will be speaking again by phone, appreciate the TikTok approval, and both look forward to meeting at APEC!” Trump wrote, referring to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group of 21 economies on the Pacific Rim.
Trump gave no further details about the TikTok deal, and a statement from the Chinese government did not mention the visits and offered no clarity on what Xi had agreed to regarding a sale of a controlling stake by TikTok's Chinese parent company to avoid a US ban.
Beijing “would be happy to see productive commercial negotiations in keeping with market rules lead to a solution that complies with China’s laws and regulations and takes into account the interests of both sides," the statement said.
"The US side needs to provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese investors,” it said.
This was the second call with Xi since Trump returned to the White House and imposed sky-high tariffs on China, triggering back-and-forth trade restrictions that strained ties between the two largest economies. But Trump, a Republican, has expressed willingness to negotiate trade deals with Beijing, notably for TikTok.
Efforts to finalize the TikTok deal
TikTok did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ request for more details on the call or the framework deal for the app's ownership that the Trump administration said was reached with Chinese officials early this week during trade talks in Madrid.
Trump, who has credited the app with helping him win another term, several times has extended a deadline for it to be spun off from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. It is a requirement under a law passed last year seeking to address data privacy and national security concerns.
Trump said Thursday that TikTok “has tremendous value” and the US “has that value in its hand because we’re the ones that have to approve it.”
US officials have been concerned about ByteDance’s roots and ownership, pointing to laws in China that require Chinese companies to hand over data requested by the government. Another concern is the proprietary algorithm that populates what users see on TikTok.
Chinese officials said Monday that a consensus was reached on authorization of the “use of intellectual property rights,” including the algorithm, and that the two sides agreed on entrusting a partner with handling US user data and content security.
Wendy Cutler, senior vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute, warned that “important details surrounding such matters as who would own and control the algorithm remain unclear.”
Trump and Xi speak on wider trade tensions
Trump said Friday the two also made progress on “many very important issues including Trade, Fentanyl, the need to bring the War between Russia and Ukraine to an end,” besides the TikTok deal.
The Chinese statement said Xi stressed the importance of ties between the two nations and urged the US side to avoid imposing any trade restrictions.
“Both sides need to work hard and in the same direction, so as to realize mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation,” the Chinese statement said.
Trump on Thursday said his relationship with China is “very good” but noted that Russia's war in Ukraine could end if European countries put higher tariffs on China. Trump didn’t say if he planned to raise tariffs on Beijing over its purchase of Moscow's oil, as he has done with India.
Cutler of the Asia Society Policy Institute said the Chinese statement indicated Beijing's willingness to “play hardball, and a need to get paid by Washington for any concessions it makes.”
“This will complicate the talks, particularly if China continues to insist on relaxation of US export controls and tariffs, areas where the US is reluctant to move,” she said.
More trade issues on the table
Top US and Chinese officials have held four rounds of trade talks between May and September, with another likely in the coming weeks. Both sides have paused high tariffs and pulled back from harsh export controls, but many issues remain unresolved.
No deals have been announced on tech export restrictions, Chinese purchases of US agricultural products or fentanyl. The Trump administration has imposed additional 20% tariffs on Chinese goods linked to allegations that Beijing has failed to stem the flow to the US of the chemicals used to make opioids.
Trump’s second-term trade war with Beijing has cost US farmers one of their top markets. From January through July, American farm exports to China fell 53% compared with the same period last year. The damage was even greater in some commodities: US sorghum sales to China, for instance, were down 97%.
Sean Stein, president of the US-China Business Council, said “we’re enormously pleased that the call happened” and called it “a really important step in getting the trade relationship back on track.”
