Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump held their first phone talks in four years Friday. According to Trump, he spoke with Xi about TikTok, just hours before the Supreme upheld a law set to ban the social media platform in the United States in less than 48 hours.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed issues including TikTok, trade and Taiwan in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump takes office again promising tariffs that could ratchet up tensions between the world's two biggest economies.

For President Xi Jinping, the stage was set for an explosive start to Donald Trump’s presidency, after he campaigned on a promise to punish China with tariffs. Instead, the American leader’s first day back in office bought Beijing some unexpected breathing room.

President-elect Trump spoke Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping by phone just days before the U.S. presidential inauguration. Why it matters: Trump said last month he exchanged messages with Xi after winning the election but didn't confirm they spoke.