President Donald Trump, right, talks with China's President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2017. (AP file photo)

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said he would meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a regional summit taking place at the end of October in South Korea and will visit China in the “early part of next year,” following a phone call between the two on Friday.

In a Truth Social post, Trump also said Xi would come to the United States “at an appropriate time” and that they had made progress on “the approval of the TikTok Deal” to allow the popular social media app to keep operating in the United States.

“The call was a very good one, we will be speaking again by phone, appreciate the TikTok approval, and both look forward to meeting at APEC!” Trump wrote, referring to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group of 21 economies on the Pacific Rim.

Trump gave no further details about the TikTok deal, and a statement from the Chinese government did not mention the visits and offered no clarity on what Xi had agreed to regarding a sale of a controlling stake by TikTok’s Chinese parent company to avoid a U.S. ban.

Beijing “would be happy to see productive commercial negotiations in keeping with market rules lead to a solution that complies with China’s laws and regulations and takes into account the interests of both sides,” the statement said.

“The U.S. side needs to provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese investors,” it said.

This was the second call with Xi since Trump returned to the White House and imposed sky-high tariffs on China, triggering back-and-forth trade restrictions that strained ties between the two largest economies. But Trump, a Republican, has expressed willingness to negotiate trade deals with Beijing, notably for TikTok.

Finalize TikTok deal

TikTok did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ request for more details on the call or the framework deal for the app’s ownership that the Trump administration said was reached with Chinese officials early this week during trade talks in Madrid.

Trump, who has credited the app with helping him win another term, several times has extended a deadline for it to be spun off from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. It is a requirement under a law passed last year seeking to address data privacy and national security concerns.

Trump said Thursday that TikTok “has tremendous value” and the U.S. “has that value in its hand because we’re the ones that have to approve it.”

U.S. officials have been concerned about ByteDance’s roots and ownership, pointing to laws in China that require Chinese companies to hand over data requested by the government. Another concern is the proprietary algorithm that populates what users see on TikTok.

Wider tensions

Trump said Friday the two also made progress on “many very important issues including Trade, Fentanyl, the need to bring the War between Russia and Ukraine to an end,” besides the TikTok deal.

The Chinese statement said Xi stressed the importance of ties between the two nations and urged the U.S. side to avoid imposing any trade restrictions.

“Both sides need to work hard and in the same direction, so as to realize mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation,” the Chinese statement said.

More issues

Top U.S. and Chinese officials have held four rounds of trade talks between May and September, with another likely in the coming weeks. Both sides have paused high tariffs and pulled back from harsh export controls, but many issues remain unresolved.

No deals have been announced on tech export restrictions, Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural products or fentanyl. The Trump administration has imposed additional 20% tariffs on Chinese goods linked to allegations that Beijing has failed to stem the flow to the U.S. of the chemicals used to make opioids.

___

Associated Press writer Paul Wiseman contributed to the report.