Beijing: China reaffirmed its position that any agreement involving the popular video app TikTok must adhere to Chinese legal requirements, as tensions continue over the app’s future in the United States. The statement comes after U.S. President Donald Trump extended the deadline for a potential deal involving TikTok’s U.S. operations by 75 days.
Last week, President Trump allowed more time for a deal to be reached after reports suggested negotiations to spin off TikTok’s U.S. assets had stalled.
Responding to the deadline extension, a spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Commerce emphasized that Beijing “opposes practices that ignore the laws of the market economy, plunder by force, and damage the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises,” according to a statement posted on the ministry’s website.
The spokesperson further noted that “the specific business arrangements must comply with Chinese law, including the export of technology, which must be approved by the Chinese government.”
The core of the issue lies in TikTok’s recommendation algorithm, which is considered central to its parent company ByteDance’s technology portfolio. Under regulations introduced by Beijing in 2020, the export of technologies such as algorithms and artificial intelligence tools requires government approval.
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This stance could complicate any potential deal involving TikTok’s U.S. business, particularly if it involves transferring proprietary technologies developed in China.
As global scrutiny continues and negotiations evolve, the intersection of commercial interests and national regulations remains at the heart of the ongoing standoff between Washington and Beijing over TikTok.
