Donald Trump says he discussed TikTok in first conversation with Xi Jinping since 2021

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Donald Trump has had his first phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping since leaving the White House in 2021. The two heads of state and government discussed the fate of TikTok shortly before the Supreme Court confirmed a law banning the app in the USA.

The conversation between those responsible was the first in four years and took place just two days before the law comes into force that forces app stores to stop offering it to users.

“I just spoke to Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping. The call was very good for both China and the USA,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth on Friday. “We talked about the balance between trafficking, fentanyl, TikTok and many other issues. President Xi and I will do everything we can to make the world more peaceful and secure!”

China’s Foreign Ministry said the two leaders agreed to “establish a strategic communication channel to maintain regular contact on important issues of common interest.”

While painting a positive picture of the call, the ministry said Xi had warned Trump that the US should approach the “Taiwan issue” with “prudence.”

Beijing claims sovereignty over Taiwan and refuses to rule out using armed force to occupy the island.

TrumpThe newly appointed national security team has been in contact with Beijing, but the call between the Chinese leader and the new U.S. president is the first direct conversation between the men in four years.

The call comes three days before Trump’s inauguration at a ceremony that will be attended by China’s Vice President Han Zheng. This is the first time a senior Chinese official has attended an inauguration in the United States.

The Financial Times reported Last week, Xi announced he would send an envoy to Washington after Trump invited the Chinese leader to attend the event.

Some Trump advisers had hoped Beijing would send Cai Qi, a Politburo Standing Committee member who is very close to Xi and has much more power than Han, who sometimes fills in for Xi in ceremonial roles.

Washington and Beijing are waiting to see what kind of China policy Trump will unveil early in his term. He has threatened to impose tariffs on imports from China and many other countries. But it is unclear whether he will do this to gain influence in negotiations with Beijing, or whether he will begin negotiations on a possible trade deal with China and impose tariffs if the talks are unsuccessful.

The conversation comes two days before U.S. app stores commit to halting distribution of TikTok, the video-sharing app that has been downloaded by more than 170 million Americans. The law – upheld by a Supreme Court ruling on Friday morning – bans the app unless its Chinese owner ByteDance sells the platform.

Trump has expressed support for TikTok and questioned whether his administration will prosecute companies that break the law.

US-China relations sank to its lowest level since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1979 during the Biden administration, on issues ranging from U.S. export controls to differences over Taiwan.

While Biden and Xi have managed to partially stabilize relations over the past year, the two countries remain at odds over a range of issues, including China’s support for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Trump has appointed several vocal China hawks to his administration, including Mike Waltz as U.S. national security adviser and Marco Rubio as secretary of state.

Scott Bessent, the nominee for Treasury secretary, said this week that Trump would push China to buy more U.S. agricultural products such as corn and soybeans, which were part of a tight trade deal he struck with China last time.

Bessent said Trump would also be aggressive in imposing export controls that would impact China. Beijing has frequently accused the Biden administration of imposing strict export controls on chips and artificial intelligence-related technologies to slow the People’s Liberation Army’s modernization.

But China experts are watching closely to see whether some of the tech billionaires in Trump’s orbit, such as Elon Musk, will try to persuade the new president to take a less hardline stance on the issue.