US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a telephonic conversation, Xinhua News reported on Friday. Prior to the call between the two leaders, US media had reported that US President Donald Trump has declined to give approval for USD 400 million of military aid to Taiwan because he is seeking to negotiate a trade deal with China, The Washington Post reported, citing sources. Trump is also striving for a summit deal with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, as per an exclusive report of the US newspaper on Thursday.
The Trump administration is generally seeking to soften relations with Beijing, the Post noted. According to a White House representative, the aid package decision has not been finalised and may be reviewed. According to local US media outlets, Trump and Xi were expected to discuss a deal to confirm the framework of a deal that would separate the TikTok app from its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to avoid a ban in the United States. “We have a deal on TikTok. I’ve reached a deal with China. I’m going to speak to President Xi on Friday to confirm everything up,” Trump told mediapersons outside the White House on Tuesday according to the New York Post.
Last year, former US President Joe Biden enacted a law mandating that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, based in China, sell off the app or face a ban in the US due to national security concerns. A US federal law was scheduled to take effect in January this year, requiring the company to find a non-Chinese owner or face a ban in the United States.
Trump later extended the deadline. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at a press conference in Madrid on September 14 announced that the United States had a “framework” for a deal to keep TikTok operational in the US. Chinese and US officials had trade teams hold a new round of talks in Madrid, Spain, on Sunday and Monday, following discussions earlier in Switzerland, Britain and Sweden, Xinhua reported.
Li Chenggang, China’s international trade representative and vice minister of commerce, was cited by the Chinese news outlet as saying that the two sides held candid discussions on TikTok and related concerns, reaching a basic framework consensus on resolving the issue through cooperation, reducing investment barriers and promoting economic and trade ties. China claims Taiwan as a part of its territory and has vowed to unify with Taiwan, using force if necessary.
