BEIJING: China will review issues related to TikTok in accordance with its laws and regulations, and has called on the United States to resolve concerns through dialogue based on mutual respect and equal consultation, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Friday.
The statement comes ahead of a scheduled meeting in Madrid next week, where senior Chinese and US officials are expected to discuss several matters — including the future of TikTok, the popular short-video app owned by China-based company ByteDance.
The US Treasury Department confirmed that TikTok will be on the agenda, as the app faces a potential ban in the United States unless it transitions to US ownership.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, who recently launched his own TikTok account, has extended the deadline for ByteDance to divest its US operations to 17 September.
Federal law
A federal law requiring TikTok’s sale or ban on national security grounds was due to take effect the day before Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
But the Republican, whose 2024 election campaign relied heavily on social media and who has said he is fond of TikTok, put the ban on pause.
In mid-June Trump extended a deadline for the popular video-sharing app by another 90 days to find a non-Chinese buyer or be banned in the United States.
Extension due to expire
That extension is due to expire in mid-September.
While Trump had long supported a ban or divestment, he reversed his position and vowed to defend the platform — which boasts almost two billion global users — after coming to believe it helped him win young voters’ support in the November election.
