U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first phone call in three months on Friday. Progress was made on the long-pending agreement regarding TikTok's operations in the U.S. Trade, tariffs, and other points of tension between Washington and Beijing were also on the agenda.
Trump hailed the talks as highly productive in a post on X. He commented, 'We made progress on several crucial issues, including trade, fentanyl, the need to end the Russia-Ukraine war, and the approval of the TikTok deal.' He also announced that both leaders will meet next month at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in South Korea. Furthermore, Donald Trump will visit China early next year, while Xi Jinping will reciprocate with a trip to the U.S.
TikTok Deal in Final Stages
The future of TikTok's American operations has remained a major issue in U.S.-China relations. The U.S. Congress has mandated the app be shut down for American users by January 2025 unless its parent company ByteDance disposes of its U.S. assets. Trump, who attributes part of his success to TikTok, has repeatedly extended the timeline during negotiations. On Thursday, he defended TikTok, saying, 'TikTok has tremendous value, and that value is in America's hands because we need to approve it.'
Also Read: Trump Halts Large Arms Supply to Taiwan, Keen on Trade Deal with Xi
Discussing Trade and Tariff Tensions
The telephonic discussion between the two leaders also covered trade issues. Trump expressed a desire to bolster the current tariff regime and sought Beijing's firm commitment on agricultural purchases and fentanyl exports. After taking office in January, Trump made substantial tariff increases on Chinese goods, prompting reciprocal measures from Beijing. Yet, critical disputes like access to China's semiconductor technology and rare earth exports remain unresolved.
Path to APEC Summit
The phone conversation between Trump and Jinping is seen as a step towards stabilizing bilateral relations before the APEC Summit (October 30 to November 1), where the leaders will meet face-to-face. Analysts believe the summit could formalize the TikTok agreement and establish a roadmap for reducing economic tensions between the world's two largest economies.
