Trump, Xi Hold First Phone Call in Months as TikTok Deal Tops Agenda -

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By Lukman Babatope

United States President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone on Friday, their first conversation in three months, with the fate of TikTok dominating the agenda.

The high-level call, confirmed by both governments, comes amid strained ties between Washington and Beijing over technology, trade, and security. Diplomats say a breakthrough on TikTok could set the tone for a possible face-to-face meeting between the two leaders during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea from October 30 to November 1.

TikTok’s Future in the U.S. Hangs in the Balance

Under a U.S. law passed earlier this year, ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, must sell its American operations by January 2025 or face a nationwide ban. While a framework for a deal is in place, final approval still depends on Beijing.

Trump, who has resisted enforcing the shutdown, defended the platform’s popularity. “I like TikTok; it helped get me elected. The app has tremendous value for the United States,” he said Thursday.

The potential deal would place TikTok’s U.S. assets under American ownership, but the app’s core algorithm would still rely on ByteDance technology, a sticking point for U.S. lawmakers wary of Chinese influence.

Trade, Semiconductors, and Fentanyl Also Discussed

Beyond TikTok, Trump and Xi also discussed broader disputes, including the battle over semiconductors, U.S. agricultural exports, and China’s role in fentanyl-related chemical production.

Trump suggested that both sides were “pretty close to a deal” but admitted that relations remain tense. Since returning to office in January, he has imposed record-high tariffs on Chinese goods, triggering Beijing’s retaliation and rattling global markets.

Diplomatic Signals Ahead of APEC Summit

Chinese officials framed the call as a step toward stability. “Heads-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in guiding China-U.S. relations,” said Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington.

In a goodwill gesture ahead of the call, Beijing also allowed Chenyue Mao, a Wells Fargo banker previously barred from leaving China, to return to the U.S.

The latest dialogue suggests both sides are seeking to manage tensions as the APEC summit draws near, even as technology and trade disputes continue to dominate the relationship between the world’s two largest economies.