Washington, D.C. – Former U.S. President Donald Trump says he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping next month in South Korea, following a call where Xi signaled approval for a long-discussed deal allowing TikTok to keep operating in the United States.
Trump called the phone conversation “productive” in a post on Truth Social, saying he “appreciated” Xi’s support and confirmed that the two leaders would meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in late October. Trump also said he plans to visit China next year, with Xi expected to make a return visit to the United States afterward.
TikTok Deal Reaches Breakthrough
The Biden-era law requiring ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to sell its U.S. operations or face a ban has hung over the app for nearly two years. While Trump has repeatedly delayed the deadline, this week he extended it again until December, giving U.S. investors more time to finalize their purchase.
Under the reported terms, Oracle and other American firms would take control of TikTok’s U.S. business, with ByteDance licensing out its algorithm technology rather than fully transferring it. The move is designed to satisfy both Washington’s national security concerns and Beijing’s strict data and export laws.
China’s state media, Xinhua, welcomed the arrangement, saying it supported “commercial negotiations based on market rules” as long as they respected Chinese law and created a “balance of interests.”
Political Pushback at Home
Despite Trump’s optimism, several lawmakers voiced concerns. Representative John Moolenaar (R-MI), chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, warned that any continued use of ByteDance’s algorithm could allow Beijing to keep influence over U.S. user data.
Security officials have long argued that TikTok poses “a national security threat of immense depth and scale,” given ByteDance’s potential ties to the Chinese Communist Party. In January, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law requiring TikTok to divest or face a ban. The app briefly went offline before Trump’s extensions kept it available.
Still, Trump now calls TikTok a platform with “tremendous value,” and hinted he may use it as part of his 2024 campaign.
Broader U.S.–China Talks
The TikTok deal is only one piece of a larger negotiation between Washington and Beijing. Earlier this year, the two leaders discussed rare earth mineral exports, with China agreeing to grant new permits for U.S. firms. Other sticking points — from technology controls to farm purchases — remain unresolved.
For now, both sides appear eager to avoid further escalation. The U.S. has already placed 20% tariffs on some Chinese goods linked to fentanyl trafficking, while China has resisted new restrictions on exports of critical tech.
Key Takeaway
The TikTok breakthrough gives Trump and Xi a reason to meet face-to-face for the first time in months. But with security fears in Washington and growing pressure from lawmakers, the app’s future in the U.S. is still far from settled.
