Donald Trump Hints at TikTok Deal After “Very Well” Trade Talks With China; Xi Jinping Call on Friday
Donald Trump says trade talks with China went “very well” and hints at a TikTok deal. US officials confirm a framework agreement, but Beijing has yet to respond.
Donald Trump hints at TikTok deal after successful trade talks with China; Beijing yet to confirm agreement.
Former US President Donald Trump on Monday said trade talks with China had “gone very well” and suggested that an agreement may have been reached over TikTok’s ownership, a long-standing point of contention between Washington and Beijing. However, Chinese officials have yet to confirm any such deal.
In a post on his social media platform, Trump noted that the trade meetings between US and Chinese officials in Europe were wrapping up successfully. He hinted at a breakthrough, saying the agreement also covered “a certain company that young people in our country very much wanted to save” — a clear reference to TikTok.
“They will be very happy!” Trump wrote, adding that he would speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday. “The relationship remains a very strong one!!!”
US Officials Indicate Framework on TikTok Deal
Senior American negotiators said a framework agreement had been reached with China to address Washington’s security concerns over TikTok. US negotiator Greer described the deal as resolving a “challenging and prickly issue,” while Treasury Secretary Bessent confirmed that discussions in Madrid had produced a tentative framework.
Bessent, however, declined to disclose commercial terms, saying those details would likely be finalized after Trump’s scheduled conversation with Xi Jinping later this week.
The US has repeatedly expressed fears that TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance could be compelled by Beijing to hand over user data, raising risks to national security. Washington has long pushed for US investors to gain control of TikTok’s American operations.
TikTok’s Meteoric Rise and Ongoing Scrutiny
Chinese entrepreneur Zhang Yiming founded the company that would later become ByteDance. By 2016, the company had marketed Douyin within China; the international iteration is TikTok. TikTok rapidly gained momentum, standing out as the first Chinese company to effectively sway the Western market.
The crux of TikTok's success is its recommendation algorithm that generates short videos with heavy personalization, breeding thousands of viral trends and granting global fame to their creators under the radar.
The pandemic saw TikTok snowballing in popularity, whereas the other social apps were busy scrambling to catch up-getting Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts started with an aim to combat TikTok.
Yet, a shadow looms over its rise. US lawmakers and security officials justify their fears because of ByteDance's association with Beijing, alleging that Chinese laws require companies to hand over data to the government if asked. Critics also expressed their fears about TikTok's algorithm shaping public opinion.
