Trump announces an agreement on "TikTok" as US-China negotiations continue
US President Donald Trump announced today, Monday, that an agreement has been reached with China regarding the fate of the short video application "TikTok", at a time when negotiations between the two countries over the terms of the deal and the exit of the parent company remain a point of sharp disagreement.
Trump posted on the "Truth Social" platform stating that an agreement was reached "regarding a certain company that the youth in our country strongly wanted to save." However, this presidential announcement comes amid official US warnings that the United States will move forward with banning the application if China does not respond to US demands.
The development of the negotiations comes just days before the deadline set for September 17, which obliges the Chinese parent company "ByteDance" to sell its "TikTok" operations in the United States or face a complete ban on the application.
A senior US official revealed in statements to Reuters that there are fundamental disagreements, pointing out that "the Chinese delegation came to the Madrid talks fundamentally misunderstanding the US position on the TikTok application." The official added that the fate of the application is contingent upon its transfer to "American ownership" before the specified date.
For their part, US officials clarified that the talks face a major obstacle as China links the TikTok file to broader trade and technology issues. US Treasury Secretary Scott Pientka stated: "Our Chinese counterparts have come with very aggressive demands," adding emphatically: "We will not sacrifice national security for a social media application."
US Trade Representative Jamison Greer supported this, indicating that "the Chinese side sees that there is a range of issues—whether tariffs or other measures taken over the years—that are an integral part of the potential TikTok deal."
The ongoing negotiations at the Baroque palace "Palacio de Santa Cruz" in Madrid are not limited to "TikTok" only, but are the fourth round within four months to address broader trade tensions. These tensions have intensified after the United States urged its allies to impose tariffs on Chinese imports in response to Beijing's purchases of Russian oil.
In response, Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian described this step at a press conference in Beijing as "a typical act of unilateral bullying and economic coercion, a serious violation of the understanding reached by the leaders of China and the United States during their phone call, and it may deal a severe blow to global trade and the stability of industrial and supply chains."
Tensions have also escalated significantly after the Chinese market regulator announced on Monday an initial investigation showing that the giant American chip company "Nvidia" may have violated antitrust laws, a move widely seen as a retaliatory response.
Regarding the complexities of the situation, Alicia Garcia-Herrero, a senior fellow at the Bruegel research center, commented that China's hesitation to exit "TikTok" stems from its fear that "this could open the door to more forced sales of Chinese companies in the West." She also noted the difficulty of banning the application in Washington due to the "youth user base," saying: "The United States is somewhat stuck here, as banning TikTok is not easy."
For his part, William Reinsch, a senior trade advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, noted that the Chinese are pushing for further easing of US restrictions on exporting chips and advanced technology goods, linking their agreement to any summit meeting between the two presidents to knowing the outcome of these negotiations, stating: "This is exactly what these talks are about."
Despite the disagreements, US Treasury Secretary Pientka stated that both sides "have made good progress on the technical details," noting that the decision to extend the deadline for "TikTok" will depend on the progress of the talks. He also tried to ease tensions by saying that failure to reach an agreement on the application "will not affect relations between the two countries," emphasizing that "relations remain excellent at the highest levels; Ambassador Jamison Greer and I hold great respect for all our counterparts."
This round of negotiations is being conducted between delegations led by Pientka and Greer from the US side, and Vice Premier He Lifeng from the Chinese side, in an attempt to resolve the disagreements that have ignited an escalating trade war.
