US President Donald Trump has announced that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping approved a deal on TikTok’s future in a phone call on Friday.
Trump described the call on Truth Social as “productive” and said he “appreciated” Xi’s approval. The deal would reportedly transfer TikTok’s US business to a group of American investors.
China’s state news agency Xinhua offered a vaguer account, quoting Xi as saying Beijing “welcomes negotiations over TikTok”. ByteDance, the Chinese firm behind TikTok, was previously ordered to sell its US operations or face a ban.
The ban, first announced in January, has been delayed four times. Trump extended the deadline again this week, giving the company until December.
Trump said both leaders made progress on trade and will meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea next month. He added he would visit China early next year, with Xi expected to travel to the US later.
A deal is not yet signed. Trump told reporters he expects a formal process soon and promised “very tight control” of the app.
The proposed deal involves US firms, including Oracle, licensing TikTok’s algorithm from ByteDance. Ownership of that algorithm remains a key sticking point.
Some US lawmakers are uneasy. Republican John Moolenar warned the arrangement could leave the Chinese Communist Party with influence.
ByteDance confirmed it would follow legal rules to keep TikTok operating in the US, but its statement left questions unanswered.
The call was the second between Trump and Xi this year, highlighting ongoing high-level negotiations.
