US President Donald Trump has said that he and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping approved a deal on the future of TikTok's US operations during a phone call on Friday, although there was no confirmation from Beijing.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the call was 'productive' and he 'appreciated' Xi's approval of the deal, which would reportedly see TikTok's US business sold to a group of US investors.
China's official state news agency Xinhua left the outcome of their discussion less clear, with Xi quoted as saying that Beijing 'welcomes negotiations over TikTok'.
TikTok, which is run by Chinese firm ByteDance, was previously told it had to sell its US operations or risk being shut down.
Trump, however, delayed implementing the ban four times since it was first announced in January and extended the deadline again to December.
In his post, Trump wrote the two had 'made progress' on trade issues and would meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit, scheduled to begin at the end of October in South Korea, and said he would travel to China.
Trump told reporters on Friday afternoon that a deal still had to be signed, and signaled there could be a formal process to do so soon.
'We look forward to getting that deal closed,' he said, adding that the US would have 'very tight control' of the app.
That deal will reportedly involve a group of US firms, including Oracle, that would enable TikTok to continue operating in the US while using technology licensed from ByteDance.
A sticking point in negotiations appears to be who will own the powerful algorithm that pushes content to TikTok's 170 million American users.
Trump has previously indicated a desire to ensure TikTok has 'tremendous value' to the US.
Meanwhile, US lawmakers have expressed concerns about ByteDance's connections to the Chinese Communist Party, complicating the negotiations.
The call between Xi and Trump is significant as it follows similar discussions earlier in the year regarding trade issues and export permits between the two nations.
