US President Donald Trump announced that he expects to begin discussions with China early next week regarding a possible agreement over the TikTok short-video app.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said the US has “pretty much” reached a deal concerning TikTok’s future. “I think we’re going to start Monday or Tuesday, talking to China, maybe President Xi Jinping or one of his representatives, but we pretty much have a deal,” he explained.
Last month, Trump extended a deadline to September 17 for ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company, to sell its US assets.
Earlier this year, negotiations had been underway to establish a new US-based company for TikTok’s American operations, controlled mainly by US investors. However, those talks stalled after China signaled it would block the plan, following Trump’s announcement of new tariffs on Chinese imports.
Trump acknowledged the deal would likely require China’s approval. When asked how confident he was that Beijing would agree, he replied, “I’m not confident, but I think so.”
The president added, “President Xi and I have a great relationship, and I think it’s good for them. I think the deal is good for China and it’s good for us.”
Just last week, Trump said in an interview that a buyer for TikTok had been identified, though he did not reveal further details.
Overall, Trump expressed optimism that an agreement could move forward, emphasizing that cooperation between Washington and Beijing would be key to finalizing the deal.
