- President-elect Donald Trump spoke to Xi Jinping on Thursday evening
Hours before the Supreme Court announced it would not be blocking a ban on Tiktok because of its Chinese owners, President-elect Donald Trump was discussing the video sharing app with the nation’s leader Xi Jinping.
As President Joe Biden delivered a series of farewell speeches, Trump this week continued preparing for government.
The president-elect has promised to impose sanctions on Beijing.
Even so Xi told him during the call: ‘We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for a good start of the China-U.S. relationship during the new U.S. presidency and are willing to secure greater progress in China-U.S. relations from a new starting point.
Trump confirmed the call with a post on his Truth Social platform.
‘The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A,’ he said.
‘It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately.
‘We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the world more peaceful and safe!’
Donald Trump promised tough sanctions on Chinese imports on the campaign trail
Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping met at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June
Their words hinted at a warmer relationship than Trump had described on the campaign trail.
He threatened to hike tariffs on Chinese imports by up to 60 percent, and said they might go higher if Beijing did not stop the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S.
Trump has already de-escalated a war of words with China over TikTok.
During his first term he promised a ban to prevent user data getting into the hands of its Chinese owners.
But now he credits the app with helping him win the election and even supplied a filing supporting its continuing availability in the U.S. as the Supreme Court weighed arguments for and against it.
On Friday morning, the justices ruled in favor of upholding the ban. They agreed unanimously with the majority of the US Congress and the US Department of Justice that the app is a threat to US national security.
‘The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it,’ he posted after the ruling. ‘My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!’
Trump broke with protocol by inviting XI himself to attend his inauguration on Monday. Foreign governments are always represented by ambassadors and diplomats.
Just before the call, the Chinese foreign ministry announced that Vice President Han Zheng would attend Trump’s swearing-in ceremony.
