President Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday brought some easing of trade worries, but a final decision on TikTok’s future remains unclear.
Following the meeting, China’s Commerce Ministry stated they would work with the U.S. to “properly resolve issues related to TikTok,” but didn’t share specific details.
The previous administration under President Trump explored a deal to keep TikTok running in the U.S., seeking to address concerns about its Chinese ownership.
Congress passed a law, later signed by President Biden, that would ban TikTok if it didn’t separate from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. Despite an initial executive order from Trump to keep the app running while searching for a solution for the sale of the company, the deal faced hurdles.
Multiple executive orders were issued, extending deadlines for a TikTok agreement, but a final resolution proved elusive.
The goal of the Trump administration was to allow an American-led group to buy TikTok, but this required approval from China as well.
Bonnie Glaser, with the German Marshall Fund, noted that whether a potential deal would safeguard American user data remains a key concern.
Glaser also raised questions about whether any agreement would align with U.S. law, considering Congress had already passed legislation on the matter.
Recent studies show that many young Americans use TikTok for news.
A survey indicated a decrease in support for a TikTok ban among Americans, although concerns about data security remain a major reason for those who favor a ban.
At the heart of the debate is TikTok’s recommendation system, which China insists on controlling. U.S. officials have voiced concerns about potential manipulation of this system by the Chinese government, though concrete evidence has not been presented.
