US Treasury Secretary Bessent: Xi and Trump to speak to complete Tiktok deal.

US Treasury Secretary Bessent: Xi and Trump to speak to complete Tiktok deal.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has indicated that a direct conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump could be the key to finalizing the TikTok deal. This revelation comes amidst ongoing trade talks in Madrid, where Bessent and his Chinese counterparts are negotiating a resolution to the TikTok dispute. The US and China are reportedly close to an agreement on the short-video app, but a deal could hinge on trade concessions from the US.

The Madrid talks, which have lasted six hours on the first day, have centered on TikTok, tariffs, and the broader economic relationship between the two countries. Bessent has stated that while both sides have made progress on technical details, reaching a comprehensive agreement on other issues will be challenging. He emphasized that the US is not willing to compromise on national security for a social media app.

The latest round of negotiations is the fourth in four months, following previous talks in Stockholm, where a 90-day trade truce was agreed upon. Experts have low expectations for a significant breakthrough in Madrid, with the most likely outcome being another extension of the TikTok divestment deadline. The US is pushing for ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, to divest its US assets by September 17 or face a US shutdown.

The talks in Madrid are seen as an opportunity for the US and China to measure each other's positions and understand their red lines. Bessent is scheduled to meet with British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves in London on Tuesday ahead of Trump's state visit with King Charles. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has stated that it has no new information to provide regarding the talks.

As the deadline for TikTok's US divestment approaches, the fate of the app remains uncertain. The US has repeatedly delayed the enforcement of the deadline, with Trump expressing interest in a meeting with Xi to finalize the deal. However, the Chinese side has not agreed to such a meeting until they know the outcome and are pushing for further easing of US export controls on high-tech goods.

Reference List:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/tiktok-ban-looms-in-us-treasury-secretary-scott-bessent-claims-deal-very-close-donald-trump-says-its-up-to-china/articleshow/123897582.cms
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-china-close-tiktok-deal-madrid-talks-bessent-says-2025-09-15/
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-china-close-tiktok-deal-it-could-depend-trade-concessions-bessent-says-2025-09-15/