On Friday, US President Donald Trump and China’s leader Xi Jinping had a phone call, with expectations that they might finally decide the future of the extremely popular video app TikTok. They also talked about trade between the two countries.
Chinese state media, including CCTV and the Xinhua news agency, confirmed that the call had started.
Trump had spoken about the upcoming conversation the day before, telling Fox News that he planned to discuss TikTok and also trade.He added, And we’re very close to deals on all of it. And my relationship with China is very good.
This was the second phone call between Trump and Xi since Trump began his second term as president in January.
Earlier, on June 5, Trump mentioned that Xi had invited him to visit China. He also extended a similar invitation for Xi to visit the United States. So far, no official travel plans have been made. However, some analysts expected Xi to repeat his invitation during the call, knowing that Trump enjoys grand receptions and formal events in other countries.
TikTok
Ali Wyne, an expert on US-China relations at the International Crisis Group, said that in trade talks, Each leader will aim to show that he has outsmarted the other.
One of the main topics of discussion was TikTok. Trump has delayed banning the app several times. The US government wants TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell its US operations because of concerns over national security.
On Thursday, Trump told reporters that he hoped to finalise something on TikTok. He said that the US version of TikTok would be owned by all American investors, including very rich people and companies. He even suggested that TikTok has helped him gain popularity among younger voters and could have played a role in helping him win the 2024 election.
Trump also continued to resist a ban on TikTok, which had been planned by his predecessor, President Joe Biden. The Wall Street Journal reported that there might be a plan for a group of investors to control TikTok, including tech giant Oracle and two California investment funds, Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz.
Trade and Tariffs
The phone call also focused on tariffs, which are taxes on imported goods. The US and China, the two largest economies in the world, have had a long-running trade dispute. Earlier this year, both countries raised tariffs on each other’s products, which disrupted supply chains around the world.
They later agreed to reduce some tariffs, but the deal is set to expire in November. Currently, the United States imposes a 30% tariff on Chinese imports, and China applies a 10% tariff on US goods.
Other Global Issues
The timing of the call also coincided with Xi hosting a major summit earlier this month with the leaders of Russia and India. Xi also invited North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to watch a big military parade in Beijing.
Trump commented on this on his social media platform Truth Social, writing: Please give my warmest regards to (Russian President) Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un as you conspire against the United States of America.
Trump has also criticized India for buying oil from Russia, imposing tariffs on their imports. He urged European countries to sanction China for purchasing Russian oil, although the US has not sanctioned China itself.
Talking to Fox News, Trump said, If they did that in China, I think the war (in Ukraine) would maybe end.
