Washington: US President Donald Trump is scheduled for high-profile bilateral meetings on Thursday, including a private session with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Oval Office, according to Trump’s public schedule released by the White House.
Sharif arrives in Washington following his participation in the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he addressed the UN Climate Summit on Wednesday. During his speech, he expressed caution regarding Pakistan’s rising debt and suggested that it could not serve as a viable solution to global challenges, somewhat undermining his claims that Islamabad is taking “concrete action” to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
On Tuesday, Sharif held an informal discussion with Trump after the US President met with leaders of eight Islamic-Arab countries, including Pakistan. The Pakistan Foreign Minister noted on X that, “An informal exchange followed the dialogue between President Trump and leaders of eight Islamic-Arab countries, including Pakistan. Prime Minister Shehbaz and Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar joined President Donald Trump in the discussion.”
According to the schedule, Trump will also sign executive orders prior to meeting Sharif, including the potential finalization of the TikTok national security deal. The White House announced on Monday that the agreement would be signed later this week, ensuring that the popular social media platform operates under strict US oversight.
During a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explained that TikTok will be majority-owned by American investors and governed by a board with extensive national security and cybersecurity expertise, with Oracle serving as the trusted security provider. Oracle will independently monitor the safety and data security of all US user data, which will be stored on Oracle-operated servers within the United States, protected from foreign interference, particularly from China.
“The president will be signing the deal, the official deal, later this week. Under its terms, TikTok will be majority-owned by American investors and controlled by a board of directors with extensive national security and cybersecurity credentials,” Leavitt said.
Earlier on Friday, Trump stated that Chinese President Xi Jinping had approved the TikTok deal, allowing the platform to continue operating in the US. Prior to this, the two leaders held a phone conversation discussing several issues, including TikTok, which faced a potential ban after the Biden administration passed legislation requiring ByteDance, its Chinese parent company, to divest ownership.
Following the call, ByteDance confirmed it would proceed with the necessary steps to enable TikTok’s continued operation in the US. “ByteDance will advance related work in accordance with Chinese law, allowing TikTok U.S. to continue serving American users well,” the company said.
The legislation, passed in April 2024, was set to ban the app starting January 19, though the Trump administration has yet to enforce it. The US is keen to finalize a deal granting American investors greater control of TikTok. According to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, the agreement is expected to allocate 80% ownership to US investors, leaving 20% with Chinese firms, including ByteDance.
Meanwhile, Trump’s day will begin with meetings involving Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
