Trump and Xi are set to discuss the TikTok deal and future of US-China relations

US President Donald Trump is expected to talk with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday in a push to finalise a deal to allow the popular social media app TikTok to keep operating in the United States The call also may offer clues about whether the two leaders might meet in person to hash out a final agreement to end their trade war and provide clarity on where relations between the worlds two superpowers may be headedIt would be the second call with Xi since Trump returned to the White House and launched skyhigh tariffs on China triggering backandforth trade restrictions that strained ties between the two largest economies But Trump has expressed willingness to negotiate trade deals with Beijing notably for the social video platform that faces a US ban unless its Chinese parent company sells its controlling stakeThe two men also spoke in June to defuse tensions over Chinas restrictions on the export of rare earth elements used in everything from smartphones to fighter jets Im speaking with President Xi as you know on Friday having to do with TikTok and also trade Trump said Thursday And were very close to deals on all of itHe said his relationship with China is very good but noted that Russias war in Ukraine could end if European countries put higher tariffs on China Trump didnt say if he planned to raise tariffs on Beijing over its purchase of Moscows oil as he has done with India The Chinese Embassy in Washington on Thursday didnt confirm the call or any upcoming summit between the leaders but spokesperson Liu Pengyu said headsofstate diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance for ChinaUS relationsSun Yun director of the China program at the Washingtonbased think tank Stimson Center predicted a positive discussion Both sides have strong desire for the leadership summit to happen while the details lie in the trade deal and what can be achieved for both sides from the summit Sun said Following a USChina trade meeting earlier this week in Madrid US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the sides reached a framework deal on TikToks ownership but Trump and Xi likely would finalise it FridayTrump who has credited the app with helping him win another term has extended a deadline several times for the app to be spun off from its Chinese parent company ByteDance It is a requirement to allow TikTok to keep operating in the US under a law passed last year seeking to address data privacy and national security concernsTrump said TikTok has tremendous value and the US has that value in its hand because were the ones that have to approve itUS officials have been concerned about ByteDances roots and ownership pointing to laws in China that require Chinese companies to hand over data requested by the government Another concern is the proprietary algorithm that populates what users see on TikTokChinese officials said Monday that a consensus was reached on authorization of the use of intellectual property rights including the algorithm and that the two sides agreed on entrusting a partner with handling US user data and content security Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi the ranking Democrat on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party says TikToks data and algorithm must be truly in American hands to comply with the lawTop US and Chinese officials have held four rounds of trade talks between May and September with another likely in the coming weeks Both sides have paused skyhigh tariffs and pulled back from harsh export controls but many issues remain unresolvedTrump in the call will likely seek to make it appear that the United States has the upper hand in trade negotiations said Ali Wyne senior research and advocacy adviser on USChina issues at the International Crisis Group Xi will likely seek to underscore Chinas economic leverage and warn that continued progress in bilateral relations will hinge on an easing of US tariffs sanctions and export controls Wyne saidNo deals have been announced on tech export restrictions Chinese purchases of US agricultural products or fentanyl The Trump administration has imposed additional 2037 tariffs on Chinese goods linked to allegations that Beijing has failed to stem the flow to the US of the chemicals used to make opioidsTrumps secondterm trade war with Beijing has cost US farmers one of their top markets From January through July American farm exports to China fell 53 per cent compared with the same period last year The damage was even greater in some commodities US sorghum sales to China for instance were down 97 per centJosh Gackle chairman of the American Soybean Association said he would be following the outcome of Fridays call because China the biggest foreign buyer of US beans has paused purchases for this years new crop Theres still time Its encouraging that the two countries continue to talk Gackle said I think theres frustration growing at the farmer level that they havent been able to reach a deal yetThis story has been sourced 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