WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump is set to converse with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this Friday, aiming to secure a deal that would keep the popular app TikTok operating in the U.S.
The discussion might also indicate if the two leaders plan to meet in person to finalize an agreement to conclude their trade conflict and clarify the future of U.S.-China relations.
This will be the second conversation with Xi since Trump returned to the White House and imposed steep tariffs on China, which initiated a series of trade barriers that stressed relations between the world’s top economies. Nonetheless, Trump remains open to negotiating trade agreements with Beijing, notably for the social media platform at risk of a U.S. ban unless its Chinese parent company relinquishes its control.
Another call for Trump and Xi over trade tensions
The leaders had also communicated in June to ease tensions regarding China’s limits on rare earth element exports, vital for products such as smartphones and fighter jets.
“I’m speaking with President Xi, as you know, on Friday, about TikTok and also trade,” Trump stated on Thursday. “And we’re very close to reaching agreements on all these issues.”
He mentioned that his rapport with China is “very good,” but suggested that Russia’s conflict in Ukraine could cease if European nations increased tariffs on China. Trump did not confirm if he intends to raise tariffs on Beijing over its purchasing of oil from Moscow, similar to measures he has taken with India.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington on Thursday didn’t confirm the call or any upcoming summit between the leaders, but spokesperson Liu Pengyu said “heads-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance for China-U.S. relations.”
Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Washington-based think tank Stimson Center, predicted a positive discussion.
“Both sides have strong desire for the leadership summit to happen, while the details lie in the trade deal and what can be achieved for both sides from the summit,” Sun said.
Efforts to finalize the TikTok deal
Following a U.S.-China trade meeting earlier this week in Madrid, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the sides reached a framework deal on TikTok’s ownership but Trump and Xi likely would finalize it Friday.
Trump, who has credited the app with helping him win another term, has extended a deadline several times for the app to be spun off from its Chinese parent company ByteDance. It is a requirement to allow TikTok to keep operating in the U.S. under a law passed last year seeking to address data privacy and national security concerns.
Trump said TikTok “has tremendous value” and the U.S. “has that value in its hand because we’re the ones that have to approve it.”
U.S. officials have been concerned about ByteDance’s roots and ownership, pointing to laws in China that require Chinese companies to hand over data requested by the government. Another concern is the proprietary algorithm that populates what users see on TikTok.
Chinese officials said Monday that a consensus was reached on authorization of the “use of intellectual property rights,” including the algorithm, and that the two sides agreed on entrusting a partner with handling U.S. user data and content security.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking Democrat on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, says TikTok’s data and algorithm must be “truly in American hands” to comply with the law.
More trade issues on the table
Top U.S. and Chinese officials have held four rounds of trade talks between May and September, with another likely in the coming weeks. Both sides have paused sky-high tariffs and pulled back from harsh export controls, but many issues remain unresolved.
Trump in the call “will likely seek to make it appear that the United States has the upper hand in trade negotiations,” said Ali Wyne, senior research and advocacy adviser on U.S.-China issues at the International Crisis Group.
Xi “will likely seek to underscore China’s economic leverage and warn that continued progress in bilateral relations will hinge on an easing of U.S. tariffs, sanctions and export controls,” Wyne said.
No deals have been announced on tech export restrictions, Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural products or fentanyl. The Trump administration has imposed additional 20% tariffs on Chinese goods linked to allegations that Beijing has failed to stem the flow to the U.S. of the chemicals used to make opioids.
Trump’s second-term trade war with Beijing has cost U.S. farmers one of their top markets. From January through July, American farm exports to China fell 53% compared with the same period last year. The damage was even greater in some commodities: U.S. sorghum sales to China, for instance, were down 97%.
Josh Gackle, chairman of the American Soybean Association, said he would be following the outcome of Friday’s call because China, the biggest foreign buyer of U.S. beans, has paused purchases for this year’s new crop.
“There’s still time. It’s encouraging that the two countries continue to talk,” Gackle said. “I think there’s frustration growing at the farmer level that they haven’t been able to reach a deal yet.”
___
Associated Press writers Josh Boak and Paul Wiseman contributed to the report.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
