TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, seems to be delaying the sale of the popular short video app as it awaits approval from the Chinese government, according to a report by the Washington Post. Despite efforts by President Donald Trump’s allies to broker a deal to sell TikTok to an American buyer, ByteDance appears to be stalling negotiations.
The Chinese government is expected to take a hard-line stance, possibly allowing TikTok’s U.S. operations to shut down rather than approving a sale. China reportedly hopes to leverage the situation into a broader deal with the Trump administration that includes significant concessions on trade and technology policy.
This development comes amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and China, as the trade war intensifies. In retaliation to U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports, China imposed its own tariffs on U.S. goods. Meanwhile, TikTok, which has 170 million American users, was temporarily removed from app stores in the U.S. just before a law that would have mandated its sale took effect on January 19.
Trump signed an executive order the day after taking office, delaying enforcement of the law for 75 days. The legislation was introduced on national security concerns over the potential misuse of American user data by ByteDance.