U.S. and China Reach Agreement — America Has Found a TikTok Buyer

On January 18, 2025, the TikTok logo and the U.S. flag appear on an electronic screen. (Anthony Kwan / Getty Images)

[People News] President Donald Trump’s administration stated that the U.S. and China have reached a framework agreement to transfer ownership of TikTok from its Chinese parent company ByteDance to an American-controlled party. The agreement is expected to be finalized during a phone call between Trump and Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping on Friday (September 19).

According to Voice of America, President Trump, speaking Tuesday (September 16) before departing for a state visit to the United Kingdom, said: “We have reached an agreement on TikTok.”

Transferring ownership of TikTok, the popular social media platform, into American hands is intended to address U.S. national security concerns that the Chinese Communist government could gain access to TikTok user data.

Trump also posted on Truth Social on Monday, saying, “The U.S. and China’s major trade talks in Europe are going very well! The meeting is about to conclude. We also reached an agreement on a certain company that our country’s young people are very eager to save. They will be very happy! I will speak with President Xi on Friday.”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also confirmed the “framework agreement” on Monday following the trade talks held in Madrid. The talks concluded before the U.S.-set deadline of September 17. This deadline was originally mandated by legislation passed by Congress in 2024 but has since been extended multiple times by Trump’s executive orders.

If an agreement had not been reached by the deadline, the U.S. would have implemented a nationwide ban forcing ByteDance to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations, or else the service could have been shut down.

Bessent told reporters: “This is a transaction between two private entities. But the commercial terms have been agreed upon.” Specific details have not yet been disclosed.

For a long time, U.S. officials have been concerned that Beijing could use TikTok to obtain data on American citizens, while also worrying that the app spreads Chinese Communist Party propaganda.

China’s chief negotiator Li Chenggang also confirmed that the two countries had reached a “basic framework consensus.”

Trump had previously said he was open to Tesla CEO Elon Musk or Oracle chairman Larry Ellison acquiring TikTok. However, on Tuesday before departing for the U.K., when asked by reporters about an American consortium purchasing TikTok, he declined to comment.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Monday in Madrid that the negotiating team was “very focused on TikTok and ensuring this is an agreement that is fair to China,” while also “fully respecting U.S. national security concerns.”

In addition, Wang Jingtao, deputy director of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, said Monday in Madrid that the two sides had reached consensus on licensing the use of intellectual property, including TikTok’s algorithm—one of the main points of contention in the agreement.

He said both sides also agreed that one partner would be responsible for handling U.S. users’ data and content security.

At present, TikTok continues to operate normally for its 170 million American users. Tech giants such as Apple, Google, and Oracle continue to support the app, while the U.S. Department of Justice has stated it will not use the law to impose potentially heavy fines on them.

As of September, Trump’s personal TikTok account @realdonaldtrump has amassed more than 15 million followers. He joined the platform in June 2024 during his presidential campaign.
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