WASHINGTON 

US President Donald Trump said Friday that his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, "approved" a TikTok deal.

"I had a great call with President Xi, and as you know, he approved the TikTok deal," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "We have to get it signed. I guess it could be a formality.”

Earlier Friday, Trump hailed a "very productive" call with Xi.

Trump told reporters that they talked for almost two hours.

"We talked about a lot of things ... We have a very good relationship. The TikTok deal is well on its way, and the investors are getting ready," he said.

TikTok faced a ban in the US if its operations in the country were not sold to American firms. On Wednesday, Trump postponed the halt to the company’s US operations for a third time to allow for negotiations to continue.

On Tuesday, Trump said a "group" of American companies would purchase the social media company, but he has so far not identified them.