After years of uncertainty, Washington and Beijing reach a framework agreement as Trump prepares call with Xi Jinping to finalize terms
Washington DC, September 17 – In a dramatic turn of events, US President Donald Trump on Monday announced that a long-awaited deal has finally been reached with China over TikTok, the popular social media app that had been facing a potential shutdown in the United States.
Speaking to reporters ahead of his scheduled visit to the UK, Trump confirmed that he would be holding direct talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week. “We have a deal on TikTok. I’ve reached a deal with China. I’m going to speak to President Xi on Friday to confirm everything,” Trump said.
According to administration officials, the agreement represents the culmination of a years-long standoff that began during Trump’s first term. The new deal will allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States, while addressing Washington’s national security concerns.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the development as a “framework agreement” and credited Trump’s personal involvement as pivotal. “President Trump played a role in this. We had a call with him last night. Without his leadership and leverage, this deal would not have been possible,” Bessent said while speaking in Madrid.
The agreement is also being seen as a precursor to a long-awaited Trump-Xi meeting, which both sides have been quietly pushing for months, according to US officials.
TikTok’s future in the United States has been hanging in the balance ever since the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act came into effect. On January 18, the app briefly went dark, triggering widespread panic among its millions of American users. But just one day before Trump’s second term began, he reassured users that he would take executive action to keep TikTok accessible.
On January 20, Trump signed an order delaying enforcement of the ban for 75 days, later extending the deadline multiple times. The most recent deadline was set for September 17—until Monday’s breakthrough agreement effectively gave TikTok a new lease on life.
The deal now awaits Trump’s upcoming conversation with President Xi, which is expected to finalize the framework and set the stage for broader discussions between Washington and Beijing. For millions of young Americans who rely on TikTok as a daily form of expression and entertainment, the announcement brings an end—at least for now—to months of uncertainty.