On the morning of September 19, 2025, the diplomatic spotlight swung toward Washington and Beijing as U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a highly anticipated phone call. The conversation, which both sides described as productive, set the stage for a series of upcoming summits and, perhaps more critically, signaled progress on a deal that could determine the fate of TikTok in the United States.
President Trump, never one to shy away from the limelight, quickly took to his Truth Social account to share the news: he and Xi would meet face-to-face at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in South Korea at the end of October. Trump also revealed plans for a visit to China in early 2026, while Xi is expected to reciprocate with a visit to the United States "at an appropriate time." According to CNN, Trump described the call as "a very productive call with President Xi of China," adding, "We made progress on many very important issues including Trade, Fentanyl, the need to bring the War between Russia and Ukraine to an end, and the approval of the TikTok Deal."
Despite the upbeat tone, the TikTok saga remains a thorny issue. The popular video-sharing app, owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, has been at the center of a heated debate over data privacy, national security, and foreign influence. Under a federal law passed earlier in 2025, ByteDance faces a stark ultimatum: divest its U.S. operations or face a nationwide ban. Lawmakers from both parties have thrown their weight behind the legislation, citing concerns that TikTok could be used for surveillance or manipulation by foreign adversaries. As CNBC reported, Trump has extended the deadline for TikTok's divestiture multiple times, with the latest extension pushing the deadline to December 16, 2025.
Negotiations over TikTok's future have been ongoing for months, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirming earlier in the week that negotiators from both countries had agreed on a "framework" for TikTok's ownership. Chinese officials, for their part, announced a consensus on intellectual property rights, including the algorithm that powers TikTok, and a plan to entrust a partner with handling U.S. user data and content security. However, as of the September 19 call, no final agreement had been reached. A White House official told CNBC that "significant progress" had been made, but details remained to be ironed out.
Trump, who has credited TikTok with helping him secure victory in the 2024 presidential election, has repeatedly emphasized the app's value. Speaking at Chequers, the British prime minister's residence, he remarked, "We're speaking to President Xi on Friday to see if we can finalize something on TikTok because there is tremendous value, and I hate to give away value, but I like TikTok." The president's affinity for the platform is well-known, but he has also made clear that national security concerns must be addressed. "TikTok has tremendous value and the U.S. has that value in its hand because we're the ones that have to approve it," he said, as reported by the Associated Press.
For China, the stakes are equally high. President Xi used the call to urge the U.S. to avoid "unilateral trade restrictions" and called for an "open, fair, and non-discriminatory business environment" for Chinese companies operating in the United States, according to China's official news agency Xinhua. The call was described as a "candid and in-depth exchange," reflecting both the complexity and the importance of the issues at hand.
The backdrop to these talks is a turbulent trade relationship. Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has targeted China with aggressive tariffs, initially imposing a staggering 145% tax on Chinese goods before reducing the rate to 30%. While both sides have paused some tariffs and pulled back from harsh export controls in recent months, many issues remain unresolved. Notably, U.S. farm exports to China have plummeted—falling 53% from January through July 2025 compared to the same period last year, with U.S. sorghum sales to China dropping a jaw-dropping 97%. Josh Gackle, chairman of the American Soybean Association, voiced the mounting frustration among American farmers: "There's still time. It's encouraging that the two countries continue to talk. I think there's frustration growing at the farmer level that they haven't been able to reach a deal yet," he told the Associated Press.
The two leaders' September 19 call was only their second since Trump's return to the White House. Their first conversation, back in June, focused on defusing tensions over China's restrictions on the export of rare earth elements—materials crucial for everything from smartphones to fighter jets. This latest call, however, carried broader implications, touching on trade, technology, and even global security. Trump mentioned the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, suggesting that progress in U.S.-China relations could help bring the conflict to an end. He also raised the issue of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has fueled a deadly epidemic in the United States, with many of the precursor chemicals originating from China.
Looking ahead, the upcoming APEC summit in South Korea looms large. Both Trump and Xi have expressed a "strong desire" for the leadership summit to happen, as noted by Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center. "While the details lie in the trade deal and what can be achieved for both sides from the summit," Sun said, the fact that the two leaders are talking is, in itself, a positive sign.
Yet, the path to a final TikTok deal—and broader trade détente—remains fraught. As CNN reported, the agreement under discussion would require China to cede control of 80% of TikTok's assets, with the U.S.-backed buyer widely expected to be a group led by Oracle executive chairman Larry Ellison. The deal also includes provisions for handling U.S. user data and licensing TikTok's algorithm and intellectual property rights. Still, the buyer has not been officially named, and the finer points of data security and algorithm control are, as ever, sticking points.
In the wider context, the Trump-Xi dynamic is being watched closely by allies and rivals alike. The Biden administration, which initiated the TikTok divestiture law in April 2024, has seen its policy carried forward—albeit with Trump's characteristic flair for negotiation and brinkmanship. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill, meanwhile, continue to press for strong safeguards, with Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi insisting that TikTok's data and algorithm must be "truly in American hands" to comply with the law.
As the world waits for the next round of summits and negotiations, one thing is clear: the fate of TikTok—and the broader trajectory of U.S.-China relations—hangs in the balance. With so much at stake, both sides seem determined to keep talking, even as the clock ticks toward yet another deadline.
In this moment of high-stakes diplomacy, the carefully choreographed dance between Washington and Beijing continues, with technology, trade, and global security all vying for center stage.
