Donald Trump, Xi Jinping Hold Talks Ahead Of US President’s Inauguration, Discuss Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok

<p>U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone conversation late on Friday, China&rsquo;s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The discussion comes just days before Trump&rsquo;s inauguration on Monday, with U.S.-China relations expected to be a key focus of his second term. Trump confirmed the conversation on Truth Social, describing it as &ldquo;a very good one for both China and the U.S.A.&rdquo; He said they discussed trade, the fentanyl crisis, and the social media platform TikTok, among other topics. &nbsp;<img style=”display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;” src=”https://feeds.abplive.com/onecms/images/uploaded-images/2025/01/17/abc3f5bf3002eb8817c857a09193db06173712742464125_original.png” width=”720″ /></p>
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<p>&ldquo;President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the world more peaceful and safe!&rdquo; Trump <a href=”https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113844165549788304″>wrote</a>. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Trump has previously threatened to impose a 60% tariff on all Chinese imports but has also spoken positively about his relationship with Xi. He has suggested that China could play a role in mediating global conflicts, including the war in Ukraine. &nbsp;</p>
<p>While Xi will not attend Trump&rsquo;s inauguration, China will be represented by Vice President Han Zheng. &nbsp;</p>
<p>In a December interview on NBC&rsquo;s &ldquo;Meet the Press,&rdquo; Trump said he had been in communication with Xi since winning the election. He reiterated his &ldquo;very good relationship&rdquo; with the Chinese leader, noting that while they had not discussed Taiwan, they had spoken about other issues.</p>
<p><strong>ALSO READ | <a title=”” href=”https://news.abplive.com/technology/tiktok-us-ban-decision-joe-biden-donald-trump-last-date-call-future-bytedance-china-1744649″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener” data-toggle=”tooltip” data-html=”true” data-original-title=”Story ID: 1744649″>Joe Biden Leaves TikTok US Ban Decision To Donald Trump: Here’s What We Know So Far</a></strong></p>
<h3><strong>US Supreme Court Upholds TikTok Ban</strong></h3>
<p>The talks came as the US Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld the federal law banning TikTok beginning Sunday unless it&rsquo;s sold by its China-based parent company, holding that the risk to national security posed by its ties to China overcomes concerns about limiting speech by the app or its 170 million users in the United States.</p>
<p>A sale does not appear imminent and, although experts have said the app will not disappear from existing users&rsquo; phones once the law takes effect on Jan. 19, new users won&rsquo;t be able to download it and updates won&rsquo;t be available, news agency AP reported. That will eventually render the app unworkable, the Justice Department has said in court filings.</p>
<p>The decision came against the backdrop of unusual political agitation by President-elect Donald Trump, who vowed that he could negotiate a solution and the administration of President Joe Biden, which has signaled it won&rsquo;t enforce the law beginning Sunday, his final full day in office.</p>
<p>Trump, mindful of TikTok&rsquo;s popularity, and his own 14.7 million followers on the app, finds himself on the opposite side of the argument from prominent Senate Republicans who fault TikTok&rsquo;s Chinese owner for not finding a buyer before now.</p>
<p>The U.S. government had expressed concern about TikTok&rsquo;s potential collection of extensive user data, including sensitive information about viewing preferences, which could potentially be exploited by the Chinese government through coercion.</p>
<p>According to AP, officials have also cautioned that the algorithm responsible for curating user content on the app is susceptible to manipulation by Chinese authorities. This manipulation could enable the Chinese government to influence the platform&rsquo;s content in a manner that is challenging to identify.</p>