Trump announces ‘framework’ for deal with China to allow TikTok to keep operating in the US

Donald Trump was once again ahead of the news on Monday. As his trade envoys were preparing to hold a press conference in Madrid, Spain to report on the progress of talks with their Chinese counterparts for a trade agreement, the U.S. president raced to be first on his social media platform, Truth, where he wrote that “The big Trade Meeting in Europe between The United States of America, and China, has gone VERY WELL! It will be concluding shortly.”

“A deal was also reached on a ‘certain’ company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save. They will be very happy!,” he added, alluding to the Chinese social media platform TikTok.

“I will be speaking to President Xi on Friday. The relationship remains a very strong one!!!,” the U.S. president ended.

Shortly after the president’s message, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that talks in Madrid had yielded a framework for an agreement to separate TikTok from its Chinese parent company ByteDance, which Trump and Xi are expected to finalize on Friday. Bessent, the Republican’s right-hand man on economic issues, declined to offer further details on the deal: the ball, he said, is now in the leaders’ court. TikTok, along with tariffs, was the big issue to contend with at the talks.

The announcement comes just in time to avoid Wednesday’s deadline for a ban on TikTok operations in the United States.

The agreement was not immediately confirmed by Beijing. In fact, the Chinese negotiating delegation left the Spanish Foreign Ministry headquarters a few minutes before Bessent and his team, without making any statements to the media.

The agreement was reached in Spain, a country that the U.S. Treasury Secretary had earlier criticized for its economic rapprochement with China.

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