• A call between former President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to finalize an agreement allowing TikTok to continue U.S. operations.
  • The deal, intertwined with broader U.S.-China trade negotiations, would sever TikTok's ownership and influence ties to entities answerable to the Chinese Communist Party.
  • A successful agreement would resolve years of uncertainty, stabilize TikTok's American business, and ease some bilateral trade tensions.

Former President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to speak in the coming days with the goal of finalizing a framework agreement that would allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States, according to people familiar with the matter. The high-stakes call, which comes after years of negotiations and threats of a U.S. ban, is seen as a critical step toward resolving the national security concerns that have plagued the popular social media app.

The pending deal is reportedly not isolated but is instead tied to the broader context of U.S.-China economic negotiations, which include ongoing discussions over trade and tariff issues. For any agreement to be palatable to U.S. regulators, it must include concrete concessions ensuring the complete severing of ownership and influence ties between TikTok and any entities answerable to the Chinese Communist Party. If these guarantees are met, the U.S. is expected to relax or rescind its planned bans, including those on government devices.

This development follows a protracted five-year dispute during which successive U.S. administrations have attempted to restrict or force the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations, citing cybersecurity and data privacy risks linked to potential Chinese government influence. The app, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., has continued its rapid user growth in the U.S. despite this operational uncertainty, though the prolonged negotiations have impacted its business partnerships and ad revenue.

Officials close to the talks caution that technical specifics around unwinding ByteDance’s influence and the interplay with wider trade negotiations could still present stumbling blocks. A spokesperson for the former president’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The outcome of the call is being closely watched by investors and tech executives, as it could set a significant precedent for how cross-border tech platforms are regulated and for the future of U.S.-China relations on technology and trade.