On a recent Friday, President Donald Trump of the United States took part in a conversation with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. In this conversation, the U.S. President expressed optimism for a potential deal to acquire the popular app, TikTok, as well as confirming his future travel plans to China. Despite the President’s positive outlook, China had a somewhat more reserved response regarding the dialogue.
This phone call represented the second such communication since Trump’s re-entry into the White House. Despite previously expressing extreme skepticism about China, in this instance he appeared to want to maintain a relatively calm stance. At stake, among other things, is the future of TikTok—a globally popular app among younger Americans—which Trump has been actively trying to wrest from Chinese control.
According to Trump, during the phone call Xi had given his approval for the TikTok deal. However, he tempered this statement with a note of caution, stating the deal still had to be signed, leaving open the chance that it might merely be a formality. China, for their part, seemed to implicitly deny any agreement had been reached.
During the discussion, the U.S. President said that Xi had pledged to cooperate with the United States to seek the termination of the conflict in Ukraine—a region where western nations accuse China of indirectly supporting Russia’s intrusion despite Beijing’s proclaimed neutrality. Furthermore, Trump disclosed that he would be meeting Xi at an upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea, and has plans to head to China next year.
Trump also announced that Xi is slated to visit the United States at some unspecified future date, and stated that further phone discussions between the two leaders were in the plans. However, China had a more severe interpretation of the conversation, especially pertaining to the TikTok matter.
In their official statement, the Chinese government emphasized Xi’s perspective: the government respects enterprise autonomy and encourages them to engage in business discussions based on market rules, with the intention of achieving agreements that balance interests and adhere to Chinese laws and regulations. They clarified that this stance is specifically in regards to the TikTok issue.
The Chinese government also expressed its hope for the U.S. to provide an open, equal, and impartial business environment for Chinese firms operating in the American market. Their view on the conversation was characterized as ‘frank and in-depth’.
The controversy concerning TikTok dates back to last year during Joe Biden’s presidency, when the U.S. Congress passed a legislation mandating that ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, must divest its U.S. operations to avoid facing a ban over national security concerns.
Throughout Trump’s first term and beyond, U.S. policymakers warned about the potential risk of China leveraging TikTok to gather data from Americans or use it as a medium to influence their social media experiences. Despite these warnings, Trump, a frequent social media user himself, delayed the ban once again.
ByteDance, in a statement released on a Saturday morning, extended gratitude to both Xi and Trump for their attention to the TikTok situation. ‘Forwarding the related efforts according to Chinese law, ByteDance aims to ensure that TikTok US continues to cater to its large American user community,’ the company declared.
Oracle, the tech firm owned by one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, Larry Ellison, is reportedly amongst the list of investors interested in acquiring the app. This comes amidst a backdrop of earlier tit-for-tat tariff hikes between the two nations, which disturbed global supply chains.
Earlier this year, the United States and China eventually struck a deal to lower these tariffs, resulting in the implementation of 30 percent duties on Chinese goods imported into the U.S. and a 10 percent tariff on U.S. products going into China. Notably, this deal is set to run its course in November.
In the wake of these phone discussions, Trump raised accusations against Xi of aligning with Russia and North Korea against the United States, referring to a major military parade held to commemorate the conclusion of World War II. Trump suggested that this display of unity was an indirect form of opposition to U.S. interests.
On the other hand, according to the Chinese account, Xi responded to this assertion with a show of appreciation for America’s role in World War II. This diplomatic move left room for speculation about the uncertain future of relations between the two global powers.
In summary, the dialogue between the two leaders marked another chapter in a increasingly complex tapestry of geopolitics, trade, and tech rivalry. The outcomes of these talks, especially regarding TikTok, will have significant implications on the digital landscape and the balance of power between the two world giants.
The post Trump Optimistic about TikTok Acquisition in Recent Call with Xi Jinping appeared first on Real News Now.
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