President Donald Trump announces "productive talk" with Chinese President Xi Jinping on TikTok's US Future and highlighting trade talks and APEC summit plans. Image: Politico.
(The Post News) – U.S. President Donald Trump made the announcement Friday that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping approved an agreement securing TikTok’s U.S. business, bringing to an end months of uncertainty for the video-sharing service.
Trump posted on Truth Social that the phone call with Xi was “productive,” and that the two made headway on trade, fentanyl, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and the future of TikTok. They will meet in person at next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, and he is planning to visit China early in 2026. Xi will visit the United States “at an appropriate time.”
When Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent subsequently confirmed the agreement, calling it a “framework” among private parties, on Monday in Madrid. While US firms, including Oracle and other US investors, would buy TikTok and lease its algorithm from parent firm ByteDance.
Trump Defends TikTok’s Value
TikTok’s fate dangled earlier this year when Congress passed legislation that compelled ByteDance to divest or face a federal prohibition. The Supreme Court reaffirmed that law in January, leading TikTok to briefly go dark before Trump continually postponed enforcement. The deadline is now December.
Trump has shifted from demanding a full ban during his first term to now defending TikTok as a valuable asset. Standing beside British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday, he said, “The people investing are among the greatest in the world. They’ll do a great job, and we’re doing it in conjunction with China.”
China’s official news agency, Xinhua, said Beijing preferred “commercial negotiations in accordance with market principles” and maintained that the deal reached should be in line with Chinese laws. It urged Washington to provide an “open, fair, and non-discriminatory economic environment” for Chinese businesses in the U.S.
There are some lawmakers, even Republicans, who remain agitated. They are concerned that ByteDance’s continued presence in licensing TikTok’s algorithm can allow Beijing to retain control.
“I am concerned the reported licensing arrangement may involve ongoing reliance on a ByteDance algorithm that arguably would allow for ongoing CCP control or influence,” said Rep. John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. The Justice Department has repeatedly threatened that TikTok is a national security risk because it would have access to information from U.S. users.
U.S.-China Relations at Stake
The TikTok agreement marks broader U.S.-China negotiations. Early this year, Trump and Xi negotiated the exports of rare earth, which led China to grant permits to American businesses. Washington even imposed 20% tariffs on some Chinese goods involved in the fentanyl trade.
Although there are still existing disputes regarding agriculture, technology constraints, and tariffs, the TikTok agreement is perhaps the most open signal of the two countries’ improvement. “A deal was reached on a ‘specific’ company that young people in our country very much wanted to save,” Trump stated, emphasizing TikTok’s political value as he seeks re-election.
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