Trump-China TikTok deal in the works to avoid looming US ban: What we know

US President Donald Trump is acceptable to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, connected Friday successful a bid to finalise an statement that volition let the fashionable video-sharing app TikTok to proceed operating successful the United States amid threats of a ban.

Trump, who has praised TikTok for helping him summation young followers during the November statesmanlike election, did not supply details connected the quality of the deal, but implied helium was looking to unafraid TikTok’s continued usage successful the US to entreaty to young Americans.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4Trump’s White House takes to TikTok arsenic deadline looms to prohibition platform
• list 2 of 4Trump announces woody with China to let TikTok to proceed operating successful US
• list 3 of 4US close shifts code connected societal media censorship aft Charlie Kirk’s murder
• list 4 of 4US-China TikTok woody could spot boosting of “pro-Trump content”

TikTok boasts astir 175 cardinal users successful the US, making it 1 of the apical 5 societal media apps.

Still, the level has been beset by troubles since past year, erstwhile lawmakers, nether the Joe Biden administration, passed authorities to unit the level to divest itself of its ownership by the Chinese net institution ByteDance.

Both Democrats and Republicans supported the authorities owed to information concerns that Beijing could person entree to TikTok information and could dispersed Chinese propaganda done TikTok’s algorithm.

There are reports that Trump allies are acceptable to bargain the app, a determination that could assistance US conservatives person much power connected young Americans who marque up the bulk of TikTok users, experts say.

Here’s what we know:

A placard connected the time justices perceive oral arguments successful a bid by TikTok and its China-based genitor company, ByteDance, to artifact a instrumentality intended to unit the merchantability of the short-video app by January 19 oregon look a prohibition connected nationalist information grounds, extracurricular the US Supreme Court, successful Washington, DC, connected January 10, 2025 [Marko Djurica/Reuters]

What woody is Trump aiming for?

It is hoped that a woody would let TikTok to debar a US ban, pursuing authorities successful April 2024 that banned the app from January 19, 2025, unless genitor institution ByteDance sells a bulk involvement to non-Chinese owners. Ideally, Trump is anxious to onslaught a woody nether which a radical of US investors could bargain into it instead.

Details are inactive unclear, but the woody was agreed successful Madrid connected Monday, during trade talks betwixt Chinese and US representatives.

Trump is present aiming to corroborate that statement during a telephone connected Friday with Xi Jinping.

The China-based institution refused to merchantability by the deadline of January 19, meaning the ban is technically successful place. However, Trump’s authorities has not yet enforced it, with the president extending the deadline respective times.

On Tuesday, Trump signed an enforcement bid that again extended the prohibition deadline until December 16.

According to US media, including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, which quoted radical acquainted with the deal, the projected statement betwixt Beijing and Washington is acceptable to spot a radical of American investors power 80 percent of TikTok, portion the remaining 20 percent volition beryllium controlled by Chinese firms, including ByteDance.

Trump, who archetypal moved to prohibition TikTok during his archetypal word arsenic president, owed to akin information concerns, has softened his stance towards the app successful his 2nd term. The US president credits TikTok for attracting young voters to his run successful the lead-up to the statesmanlike predetermination successful November past year, and has said American investors are acceptable to bargain the app.

“We person a radical of precise large companies that privation to bargain it. And you know, the kids privation it truthful badly,” Trump told reporters connected Tuesday.

“I had parents calling maine up. They don’t privation it for themselves; they privation it for their kids. They say, if I don’t get it done, they are successful large occupation with their kids. And I deliberation it’s great. I hatred to spot worth similar that thrown retired the window,” Trump added.

Who are the US investors wanting to bargain TikTok?

Experts accidental the woody volition assistance cement Trump arsenic the “president who saved TikTok” successful the US. However, they besides pass that nether Trump’s administration, TikTok could inactive beryllium utilized to power Americans adversely.

At slightest 2 of Trump’s closest billionaire allies are reported to beryllium portion of those whose companies are looking to bargain the app: billionaire Marc Andreessen, cofounder of Silicon Valley task capitalist steadfast Andreessen Horowitz, and Larry Ellison, the billionaire cofounder of tech steadfast Oracle.

During the 2024 statesmanlike election, Andreessen and his concern partner, Ben Horowitz, donated $2.5m each to Trump’s campaign.

Ellison, who has a luck of $362bn and is 1 of the world’s richest men, is adjacent person to Trump. The US president said successful January that helium would beryllium unfastened to Ellison buying the app. Reuters quality bureau besides reported successful January that, arsenic portion of archetypal negotiations with ByteDance, the White House had selected tech radical Oracle, which is headquartered successful Austin, Texas, to big TikTok information successful the US.

Taking implicit TikTok would further boost Ellison’s power implicit important media channels successful the US. In August, his son, David Ellison, took implicit ownership of media conglomerate Paramount Skydance, which counts quality and amusement broadcaster CBS arsenic 1 of its companies.

Media adept Marc Owen Jones told Al Jazeera that, fixed the expanding authoritarianism successful the US nether Trump, determination are likewise valid concerns regarding whether Washington mightiness person entree to TikTok data, and added that the woody should interest Americans who place arsenic being connected the governmental left.

“Trump is each astir himself successful galore ways,” Jones said, “So Trump is getting not conscionable this woody but helium is besides getting fundamentally a media empire that’s going to beryllium tally by Trump-friendly allies who are astir apt going to marque definite that this level is not going to steer excessively acold to the left.”

How has China reacted to the projected deal?

According to US officials contiguous astatine the commercialized talks successful Madrid, Beijing wanted concessions connected commercialized and exertion successful speech for the TikTok divestment, but it’s unclear what Washington agreed to.

Many Chinese radical spot the projected prohibition connected the app successful the US arsenic unfair and discriminatory against Chinese businesses. TikTok is banned successful China, portion the section version, Douyin, is successful use, but Chinese radical person often voiced pridefulness successful the app’s worldwide popularity.

Speaking to Al Jazeera connected the streets of Beijing this week, immoderate residents said they would invited a woody connected Friday betwixt Beijing and Washington to support TikTok online successful the US.

Some besides expressed anticipation that the woody mightiness pb to amended relations betwixt the 2 superpowers, amid an ongoing trade war instigated by President Trump, arsenic good arsenic existing geopolitical tensions relating to China’s expanding power connected the planetary stage.

China has consistently denied claims by US lawmakers that Beijing pressures apps similar TikTok to cod idiosyncratic accusation for the state.

Beijing has besides condemned the US government’s attempts to unit the app’s sale. When US lawmakers grilled TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew successful Congress for 5 hours successful March 2023 implicit the company’s relations with Beijing, the Chinese authorities issued a beardown rebuke, claiming it would ne'er unit companies to excavation data.

Does China airs a information menace to the US via apps similar TikTok?

Experts accidental the US’s information concerns are valid.

“There’s truly nary firewall betwixt the information that tech firms person entree to, and [that which] the Chinese Communist Party, the authorities itself” tin access, expert Fergus Ryan of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute told Al Jazeera.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies during a proceeding of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, connected the platform’s user privateness and information information practices and interaction connected children, connected Thursday, March 23, 2023, connected Capitol Hill successful Washington [Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo]

Why is TikTok truthful fashionable successful the US?

The societal media app is highly fashionable among young Americans, some arsenic an amusement transmission and arsenic a quality source. About 59 percent of Americans nether 30 usage the app, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center, with those aged betwixt 13 and 17 being the biggest radical of regular users.

US adults implicit the property of 30 are besides progressively drawn to the app, with usage wrong that radical increasing from 21 percent to 33 percent betwixt 2021 and 2023. In total, astir one-third of each US adults accidental they usage TikTok.

Increasingly, TikTok is besides a level connected which businesses tin scope imaginable customers arsenic they leverage partnerships with influential TikTok stars for advertisements.

The app has go a important mode for politicians to scope young radical arsenic well, with Trump’s ain relationship attracting 15.2 cardinal followers.

According to Tufts University, young voters successful the run-up to past year’s November statesmanlike predetermination showed a noticeable displacement towards Trump: 46 percent of young radical voted for Trump, compared with the 36 percent who voted for him successful the 2020 elections. Overall, however, young radical voted for Democratic campaigner Kamala Harris (52 percent) implicit Trump (46 percent).