Joe & Xi have a long Tok

Touchy topics in call

WASHINGTON — President Biden discussed the potential “divestiture” of TikTok during a Tuesday phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping — as Xi warned Biden against tripping a “red line” over Taiwan policy.

The sensitive topics were among the leading points in the private conversation, according to summaries from officials on both sides.

“The president reiterated our concerns about the ownership of TikTok,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a regular White House briefing.

“He made it clear to President Xi this was not about a ‘ban’ of the application but rather our interest in divestiture so that the national-security interests and the data security of the American people can be protected.”

The Chinese-owned platform is one of the most popular social-media applications in the US, particularly among younger Americans, and may be forcibly pried away from owner ByteDance through legislation. The House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill last month to force ByteDance to sell TikTok within six months or face a US ban — and Biden has pledged to make it law if it clears the Senate.

“[Biden] brought it up with President Xi,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

“The president has always been very clear about his concerns: There is a real threat posed by certain technology services operating in the US that put at risk Americans’ personal information.”

Beijing’s spin

The Chinese government’s summary said Xi stressed that the “Taiwan question is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations,” without elaboration.

The relatively curt description of the call by Beijing said Xi also said “the measures by the US side to suppress China’s trade and technology development are not ‘derisking,’ but creating risks.”