US President Donald Trump has said that he and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping approved a deal on the future of TikTok's US operations during a phone call on Friday, although there was no confirmation from Beijing.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the call was 'productive' and he 'appreciated' Xi's approval of the deal, which would reportedly see TikTok's US business sold to a group of US investors.
China's official state news agency Xinhua left the outcome of their discussion less clear, with Xi quoted as saying that Beijing 'welcomes negotiations over TikTok'.
TikTok, which is run by Chinese firm ByteDance, was previously told it had to sell its US operations or risk being shut down.
Trump, however, delayed implementing the ban four times since it was first announced in January, and earlier this week extended the deadline again to December.
In his post, Trump mentioned that the two leaders 'made progress' on trade issues and would meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit, set to begin at the end of October in South Korea.
Trump stated, 'We look forward to getting that deal closed,' highlighting tight control over the app's operations. The group of US firms involved, including Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, is expected to oversee TikTok's functioning in the US, utilizing licensed algorithm technology from ByteDance.
Concerns persist among US lawmakers regarding ByteDance's ties with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the potential risks of allowing continued access to American data. The TikTok saga remains a significant element in the broader context of US-China relations, digital security, and economic negotiations.
