Is the TikTok War Over? US and China Reportedly Find a Path Forward

TikTok's fate in the US may soon be decided. On Friday, officials representing both China and the US reportedly confirmed that the two countries have reached an agreement to switch the ByteDance-owned short-video platform to US-controlled ownership. While details of the agreement have not been made public as of now, as per the report, China wants to keep hold of the “Chinese characteristics” of the app despite the divestment. The information comes as the Trump administration's deadline extension for the divestment comes to an end.

TikTok to Reportedly Be Shifted to US-Controlled Ownership

According to Reuters, the US and China have reached an agreement to divest TikTok under US ownership. Citing unnamed officials representing both countries, the report claimed that a “framework agreement” has been reached around the short-video platform. The agreement reportedly came after months of discussions between the two sides.

The mention of “framework agreement” is interesting here. The report claims that even if China allows TikTok to be controlled by the US, it is not willing to let go of the framework or the algorithm behind the app. For the layman, the algorithm powers the platform's recommendation engine, discover feed, and the videos that appear on the For You page.

Scott Bessent, the US Treasury Secretary, reportedly held a meeting with Chinese negotiators in Madrid recently. After the meeting, he told the publication that the current deadline of September 17, which has reached the point of expiry, could be further extended by 90 days to provide both sides the time to finalise the deal. Bessent reportedly highlighted that the divestment will not compromise the cultural aspects of TikTok, which the Chinese representatives were concerned about.

"They're interested in Chinese characteristics of the app, which they think are soft power. We don't care about Chinese characteristics. We care about national security," Bessent was quoted as saying.

Notably, TikTok currently has more than 170 million US user profiles, all of which will be switched to the US-controlled ownership if the deal goes through. The divestment will also ensure that user data from these users is stored on servers located and controlled within the US. The US President Donald Trump and the Chinese President Xi Jinping have held discussions for months to find a resolution. Another call between the two is expected on Friday.