One phone call, two takeaways: Trump says TikTok deal approved; China holds back

Experts said the Trump-Xi call largely did not move relations one way or another.

While US President Donald Trump said that a TikTok deal was “well on its way”, China did not let on whether it would allow ByteDance to sell its valuable algorithm to an American company.

PHOTO: EPA

Bhagyashree Garekar

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Lim Min Zhang

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WASHINGTON/BEIJING - US President Donald Trump has painted a rosier picture of his much-hyped phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping than did the Chinese side, whose version of it was more reserved.

Mr Trump, who described the Sept 19 call as “very productive”

in a social media post, cited progress on many issues including trade, fentanyl, the Ukraine war and a TikTok deal that he said had been “approved” by the Chinese President.

One phone call, two takeaways: Trump says TikTok deal approved; China holds back

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