Poli Alert Politics & Civics
Related Articles
The United States and China have reached the outlines of a deal to resolve the dispute over TikTok’s ownership, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to speak on Friday to finalize the agreement.
“We have a framework for a TikTok deal,” Bessent told reporters after negotiations with Chinese officials in Spain. “The two leaders, President Trump and Party Chair Xi, will speak on Friday to complete the deal. But we do have a framework for a deal with TikTok.”
Bessent added that the agreement is “between two private parties” and that “the commercial terms have been agreed upon.” Talks in Spain, he said, focused on the app’s future and ownership structure.
Trump Signals Breakthrough
Trump appeared to hint at the breakthrough earlier Monday in a post on Truth Social, calling the U.S.-China trade meeting in Europe a success.
“A deal was also reached on a ‘certain’ company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save,” Trump wrote. “They will be very happy! I will be speaking to President Xi on Friday. The relationship remains a very strong one!!!”
Legal and Political Background
The development comes after years of legal and political wrangling over TikTok’s future in the U.S.
In April 2024, Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed a law requiring TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to divest from TikTok or face a nationwide ban. The Supreme Court unanimously upheld the law, ruling 9-0 that the divest-or-ban measure was constitutional.
Under the law, ByteDance had until Jan. 19, 2025, to comply. TikTok briefly shut down ahead of the deadline, but resumed operations after Trump ordered federal agencies not to enforce the ban.
Trump has since issued several executive orders delaying enforcement, the most recent in June, which extended the deadline to Sept. 17. His orders have also directed the Justice Department not to penalize Apple, Google, or other platforms for continuing to host TikTok.
Earlier Deal Collapsed Over Tariffs
This spring, the administration came close to securing a deal that would have spun off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a new company majority-owned by American investors, with ByteDance retaining a minority stake. That agreement collapsed after Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports, which derailed negotiations.
ByteDance has consistently argued that any deal involving TikTok would require Chinese government approval.
Political Divide Over Enforcement
While Trump has defended TikTok for its popularity among young Americans, many in Congress — including members of his own party — remain skeptical. Lawmakers have repeatedly warned that TikTok poses national security risks by allowing China to collect vast amounts of user data.
Some Republicans have also questioned whether Trump has the legal authority to continue delaying enforcement of the law. They argue that Congress passed the divest-or-ban measure with bipartisan support and expect the administration to uphold it.
For now, the administration’s latest negotiations suggest TikTok’s future in the U.S. could be decided not by Congress or the courts, but through a direct agreement between Washington, Beijing, and ByteDance.
