Photo: Michael Dwyer/ Canva
The US deal to sell TikTok’s assets is under threat of failure. China has officially notified the Donald Trump administration that it will not approve the deal until its trade tariff policy is revised. At the centre of the conflict is an escalation of the customs confrontation between the two superpowers.
According to the Associated Press, citing sources, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has warned the White House that the Chinese authorities have vetoed a deal that would have created a separate company with US investors as majority shareholders. ByteDance would have retained less than 20%.
“China is not ready to approve the deals until the US returns to tariff negotiations,” the source said.
The day before, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order postponing the ban on TikTok for 75 days, extending the time for the deal to be implemented.
Trump had hoped that the sale of TikTok to American investors would be completed without any obstacles, but rising tensions over customs policy forced Beijing to change its position.
In a statement, ByteDance confirmed discussions with the US government, but stressed that “no final agreement has been reached”.
This situation could have global implications for the tech market and demonstrate how geopolitics affects technology and the digital economy.
