The United States and China have reached a framework agreement to transfer Tiktok’s ownership to US control.
Officials from both countries made the announcement on Monday.
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If the owner’s ordinance fails to agree to sell the company to a US-based business, or if the United States does not extend the suspension of the ban, the owner’s ordinance was set to be banned in the United States by Wednesday.
US President Donald Trump praised the deal. This will be confirmed on Friday when he spoke with Chinese counterpart president Xi Jinping.
“We’ve also reached deals on a ‘specific’ company that young people in our country were very eager to save,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social on Monday.
“The relationship is very strong!!”
The White House rejected a summary of the terms of the transaction negotiated during trade talks between Madrid and the two countries. The two-day meeting, which concluded Monday, was the latest in many negotiations that began in May.
“We are not going to talk about the commercial terms of the transaction. It’s between two private parties, but the commercial terms are agreed,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent told reporters.
Bescent and US trade representative Jamieson Greer, who also part of Madrid’s trade delegation, said China wanted trade and technology concessions in exchange for agreeing to sell from the popular social media app.
“Our Chinese counterparts have been asked very aggressively,” Bescent said, adding, “We are not going to sacrifice national security for social media apps.”
“The Tiktok sale agreement is expected to not only continue to run the app in the US, but also to help eliminate tense trade standoffs and lay the foundation for further trade consultations between the US and China,” Maria Pechurina, head of international trade at Peacock Tariff Consulting, told Al Jazeera. “Both the US and Chinese delegations have explicitly linked the fate of Tiktok with the advances in tariff cuts and related trade concessions during conversations in Madrid.”
The deal happens despite the US urging other countries to impose tariffs on China over Russian oil purchases, but Bescent said it was briefly discussed with the US Chinese counterpart.
Experts warn him that he will be wary of the trade set up until XI and Trump speak on Friday.
“It is important to note that Chinese people often see the signing of contracts, not the end of negotiations. The devil will lie to the details behind the optics.
“The deal, when it arrives, reflects the convergence of technology, national security and geopolitics,” Haley said. “Tictok is at the heart of the US regarding access to data, its impact on public discourse, and Beijing’s scope to global technology. Washington says the US sees digital platforms as a strategic asset rather than a private company.”
Tiktok did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.
A prohibition
Trump proposed banning Tiktok during his first term as US president, and signed two executive orders in August 2020 aimed at restricting the app.
In April 2024, under then-President Joe Biden, the White House signed a law officially banning Tiktok unless it sells US businesses. The ban was supposed to come into effect on January 19th, the last day of the Biden administration. Biden said he would not enforce the ban and leave the decision to the next administration.
Two days before the January deadline of January 17th, the Supreme Court considered the challenge to Tiktok’s law and intervened to uphold it. The app went dark for a brief period before the ban paused early in Trump’s subsequent presidency.
The suspension was initially 90 days and was subsequently extended multiple times throughout the year.
Cultural importance to Trump
Tiktok’s cultural relevance has in recent years served as a tool for organisation and activism, and as a platform to reach young voters in particular. In April 2024, Tiktok’s pro-Trump video was nearly twice as many supporters of Biden, who was then a Democratic candidate, citing internal Tiktok data.
Trump’s widespread use of new media was widely cited as a factor in his 2024 election victory. His campaign regularly involved right-leaning podcasts and influencers such as Joe Rogan and Theo Fon to reach conservative audiences. They also targeted disillusioned men. Disillusioned men were attracted to influencers who promoted traditional concepts of masculinity and were often confused with conservative perspectives.
A study by the Pew Research Center in November found that news influencers, who are defined as people with at least 100,000 followers on any social media platform, are more likely to lean towards conservatives, discussing “current events and civic issues.” Another report from Pew in February found that news influencers posted content that supported Trump more than former Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s 2024 election opponent. Trump’s 28% vs Harris’ 24%.
Tiktok’s role in spreading far-right stories is not limited to American politics. The platform has influenced German state elections, contributed to the rise of far-right leaders, and has similarly influenced far-right candidates in Poland, Sweden and France.
