According to Chinese state media, Chinese leader Xi Jinping asked U.S. President Donald Trump to avoid “unilateral trade decisions” during a phone call on Friday that also included discussions on TikTok. Xi reportedly told Trump that “The U.S. side should avoid taking unilateral trade-restrictive measures that could undermine the outcomes achieved through multiple rounds of consultations,” describing the call as “positive and constructive.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. president hailed what he called progress with the Chinese president, including on the sale of the blockbuster app TikTok, and said he would visit the Asian power.
New Title: Leaders Discuss Key Issues, Including TikTok and Trade
The leaders of the world’s two largest economies spoke by telephone for the second time since Trump’s return to the White House. Ahead of the call, Trump told reporters he hoped it would finalize a deal to take TikTok out of Chinese hands. Although neither side reported a final agreement, Trump called the call “very productive.” On his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote, “We made progress on many very important issues including Trade, Fentanyl, the need to bring the War between Russia and Ukraine to an end, and the approval of the TikTok Deal.”
He announced he would meet Xi on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in South Korea starting next month and that he would travel to China next year. Trump also said Xi would visit the United States at an unspecified time and that the two leaders would speak again by telephone.
New Title: China’s Position on TikTok and Bilateral Relations
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said that on the TikTok issue, “Xi noted that China’s position is clear: the Chinese government respects the will of enterprises and welcomes them to conduct business negotiations based on market rules, to reach solutions that balance interests and comply with Chinese laws and regulations.” It added that “China hopes the US side will provide an open, fair, and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies investing in the United States.”
The U.S. Congress, during Joe Biden’s presidency, passed a law to force TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operations for national security reasons or face a ban. However, Trump has once again postponed a ban on the app. On Thursday, Trump told reporters that under an upcoming deal, TikTok’s U.S. business would be “owned by all American investors, and very rich people and companies.” The Wall Street Journal suggested a consortium to control TikTok that could include tech giant Oracle and two California investment funds.
During his campaign, Trump bashed China relentlessly, but since returning to office, he has spoken of his strong relationship with Xi. Both sides have previously hiked tariffs against each other, disrupting global supply chains, though a deal was reached to reduce levies, which expires in November.
