U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Chinese President Xi Jinping had approved a deal to keep TikTok operating in the U.S., though Beijing’s official statement was more cautious.
The announcement followed the first phone call between the two leaders in three months. Trump said the pair also discussed trade, the flow of fentanyl, and Russia’s war in Ukraine. “He approved the TikTok deal,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding that a formal signing could still follow. “The TikTok deal is well on its way.”
The White House said Trump and Xi will meet in South Korea in late October on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Trump also plans to visit China early next year.
Beijing, however, avoided confirming a binding TikTok agreement. “China’s position on the TikTok issue is clear: The Chinese government respects the wishes of the company in question,” its statement said, urging the U.S. to treat Chinese firms fairly. Analysts noted the difference in tone. “Beijing is banking on optics and time, while Washington is chasing a TikTok headline,” said Craig Singleton of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
TikTok’s fate has been under intense scrutiny since Congress ordered a U.S. shutdown unless Chinese owner ByteDance sold the app’s American assets by January 2025. The proposed deal would shift TikTok’s U.S. business to domestic owners, though the app would continue using ByteDance’s algorithm.
Questions remain over ownership structure, algorithm control, and whether Congress will approve the final terms. Trump hinted the U.S. might even take a fee for brokering the arrangement, possibly worth billions.
ByteDance issued a brief statement thanking both leaders and pledging to find a solution that serves U.S. users while meeting Chinese legal requirements.
For now, the talks have lowered tensions, but unresolved issues leave TikTok’s long-term status uncertain.
