The U.S. president said the talks could involve Chinese leader Xi Jinping or his representatives.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that U.S. officials would begin talks with China about a potential TikTok deal next week.
Trump stated that the United States “pretty much” has a deal for the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations, but noted that it will likely require approval from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in order to proceed.
“I think we’re gonna start Monday or Tuesday talking to China, perhaps President Xi or one of his representatives,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One, referring to CCP leader Xi Jinping.
When asked if he was confident that China would approve the sale of the video-sharing application’s U.S. operations, Trump said that he believed it would benefit both countries.
“I’m not confident, but I think so. President Xi and I have a great relationship,” Trump said. “I think the deal is good for China, and it’s good for us.”
Last month, Trump signed an executive order extending the deadline for ByteDance, TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, to divest the app’s U.S. assets until Sept. 17. The app could face a nationwide ban under a federal divest-or-ban law if the company fails to do so.
In response, TikTok thanked Trump for extending the deadline, saying that it would “continue to work with” Vice President JD Vance’s office on securing a deal. The short video-sharing app is estimated to have 170 million American users and is used by 7.5 million U.S. businesses.
The recent extension was the third time Trump had granted a reprieve to the enforcement of a law that Congress passed in 2024 mandating that ByteDance divest itself of its ownership of TikTok by January, or the application will go dark in the United States. Lawmakers cited national security concerns due to ByteDance’s ties to the CCP.
Trump told Fox News on June 29 that he has found a buyer for TikTok and plans to announce the buyer—whom he described as “a group of very wealthy people”—within two weeks.
