Trump on Xi call: both look forward to meeting at APEC

Trump on Xi call: both look forward to meeting at APEC

In a significant move to ease tensions between the United States and China, President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to discuss a potential agreement to keep the video app TikTok operational in the U.S. The leaders are expected to hold their first known call in three months on Friday, with the agreement on TikTok and trade tensions at the top of their agenda .

The conversation comes amidst ongoing discussions about a potential in-person summit between Xi and Trump during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, scheduled for October 30-November 1. The agreement would involve transferring TikTok's U.S. assets to U.S. owners from ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok .

Trump has expressed his support for TikTok, stating that he likes the app and it has helped him in his political campaigns. However, the precise ownership structure and control over the app remain unclear, raising concerns among lawmakers about potential national security threats. China has maintained that there is no evidence of a national security threat posed by TikTok .

In addition to the TikTok agreement, the leaders are expected to discuss broader trade issues, including competition over semiconductors and other advanced technologies. The U.S. is also demanding that China crack down on the export of fentanyl-related chemicals, a major cause of U.S. overdose deaths. Despite these challenges, Trump has positioned his foreign policy approach as one of peace-seeking and deal-making, indicating a potential extension of current trade terms .

The call between Trump and Xi follows a series of limited agreements that have paused the tit-for-tat tariff war between the two countries. Tariffs, a key component of Trump's economic policy, have been raised to the highest levels in nearly a century. Despite these tariffs, China remains the U.S.' third-largest trading partner and the source of its largest bilateral trade deficit in goods .

The leaders' efforts to stabilize relations are also part of a broader strategy to manage regional flashpoints, such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. Heads-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance for China-U.S. relations, according to the Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu .

In an early sign of goodwill, China permitted the departure of Wells Fargo banker Chenyue Mao, who had been prevented from returning to the United States for several months. This move is seen as a positive step towards improving relations between the two countries .