President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a high-stakes call Friday morning aimed at finalizing a deal that could allow TikTok to keep operating in the United States, even as the two countries continue to navigate their fraught trade relationship. The call began at 8 a.m. ET, according to the White House and China's Xinhua News Agency, and could set the stage for a future in-person summit between the leaders.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier this week that Washington and Beijing had reached a "framework" agreement on TikTok's U.S. operations during trade talks in Madrid, leaving Trump and Xi to hammer out remaining details. Under U.S. law signed last year, TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance must divest its U.S. business or face a nationwide ban. Trump, who has repeatedly credited TikTok with helping him win the 2024 election, has extended the divestment deadline multiple times, most recently to December 16.
"We're speaking to President Xi on Friday to see if we can finalize something on TikTok, because there is tremendous value, and I hate to give away value, but I like TikTok," Trump said Thursday during his state visit to the United Kingdom.
Chinese officials confirmed that both sides had agreed on terms related to intellectual property rights, including the algorithm that powers TikTok's content feed, and on entrusting a partner to manage U.S. user data and content security. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the top Democrat on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, warned that any deal must ensure TikTok's data and algorithms are "truly in American hands" to comply with the law.
The TikTok negotiations are part of a broader effort to stabilize U.S.-China relations, which have been strained by tariffs, technology restrictions and Beijing's support for Russia during the Ukraine war. Since May, the two countries have held four rounds of trade talks, pausing some tariffs and easing export controls, though major sticking points remain.
Trump, who has imposed additional 20% tariffs on select Chinese goods, has sought to frame the talks as evidence that the U.S. has leverage. "We're very close to deals on all of it," he said, referencing both TikTok and broader trade issues. Xi, for his part, is expected to seek relief from tariffs and sanctions as a condition for further cooperation.
U.S. farm exports to China have been among the hardest hit by the tariff dispute, falling 53% from January through July compared with last year. Sales of sorghum have plummeted 97%. Josh Gackle, chairman of the American Soybean Association, said farmers were anxiously awaiting news from the call. "There's still time. It's encouraging that the two countries continue to talk," he said. "I think there's frustration growing at the farmer level that they haven't been able to reach a deal yet."
