US President Donald Trump has reaffirmed his interest in visiting China, while announcing that bilateral talks are set to start early next week on a possible TikTok deal that could determine the future of the popular video-sharing platform.
Under a law passed by the US Congress last year, ByteDance Ltd, the Beijing-based parent company of the social media app, is required to divest TikTok and secure a local buyer in the US.
Trump, who has extended the divestment deadline three times to allow more time for negotiations, said on Friday that the US “pretty much” had a deal on the sale of the app.
“I think we’re [going to] start Monday or Tuesday … talking to China, perhaps President Xi [Jinping] or one of his representatives, but we pretty much have a deal,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One, according to Reuters.
When asked how confident he was that China would agree to a deal, he said, “I’m not confident, but I think so. 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.”
