US President Donald Trump said he gave his administration 75 more days to find a non-Chinese buyer for TikTok before the social media platform faced being banned in the country.
According to Trump’s Truth Social post, the extension was intended to “ensure all necessary approvals are signed.”
“My administration has been working hard on a deal to save TikTok, and we have made tremendous progress,” he wrote.
Trump said his administration was in contact with four different groups about a prospective deal, without naming any of them, adding he’d like to work with both China and TikTok to get the deal done.
“We don’t want TikTok to go dark,” he added.
Ban first pushed by Trump but signed by Biden
The US Congress had initially mandated that the short-video platform find a new, non-Chinese owner by January 19 for national security reasons, with Trump later extending the deadline until April 5.
Trump had tried to ban the social media network during his first term as president, but a US federal judge ruled the president did not have the authority to ban the app. Following that judicial rebuke, Congress passed the bill calling for TikTok’s sale, which former PresidentJoe Biden signed.
Lawmakers in the US feared that China could gain access to TikTok’s personal data for the purpose of influencing political opinion in the country.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has said the country’s government has never asked companies to “collect or provide data, information or intelligence” held in foreign countries. TikTok itself has said it prioritizes user safety.
Chinese company Bytedance, which owns the social media network, has repeatedly said the platform is not for sale, adding Friday that “key matters” remain in talks with the US government over a potential solution to keep the platform running.
Several US businesses are reported to have made offers to buy a share of TikTok.
In addition to China, TikTok also has offices in Singapore and Los Angeles. (DW)
