The future of TikTok remains unclear as President Donald Trump positions himself as the short-form video app’s savior — despite reservations from the Chinese Communist Party.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning fielded a deluge of questions about TikTok’s future during her Monday press conference, which took place just hours before Trump was sworn into office.
“TikTok has operated in the U.S. for years and been very popular with American users. It has played a positive role in boosting U.S. employment and consumption,” Mao said. “We hope the U.S. will earnestly listen to the voice of reason and provide an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment for market entities from all countries.”
TikTok was briefly taken offline Saturday to comply with the U.S. ban on Chinese government-affiliated companies owning apps that collect U.S. citizens’ data.
Trump promised Sunday that he would sign an executive order on his first day in office that would extend the deadline for ending TikTok’s service in the United States in a bid to save it.
The president is seeking to negotiate a joint-venture framework for the app, with ownership split evenly between the U.S. and the Chinese government.
When asked about this proposal at her press conference, Mao said, “When it comes to actions such as the operation and acquisition of businesses, we believe they should be independently decided by companies in accordance with market principles. If it involves Chinese companies, China’s laws and regulations should be observed.”
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was in attendance at Trump’s inauguration ceremony Monday afternoon.
Zhang is China’s richest private citizen, a friend of tech billionaire Elon Musk, and a key Trump adviser. The two reportedly spoke one-on-one after the TikTok ban became a likely development.
A 50-50 ownership deal between the U.S. and China would present a perilous tangle of negotiations on how the app would conform to both nations’ regulations.
Additionally, Musk asserted Sunday that if TikTok is able to operate in the U.S., his own social media platform X should be given reciprocal access to the Chinese market.
Mao flagged the hurdles such an arrangement would present to China’s status quo, which requires the internet to be managed “in accordance with law.”
“We welcome internet companies across the world to operate in China as long as they abide by China’s laws and regulations and provide safe and reliable products and services,” Mao said.
The CCP requires technology companies to allow the government access to its back-end, which provides ample room for data collection, espionage, and other forms of digital influence.
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On the future of U.S.-China relations under the second Trump administration, Mao was more diplomatic, affirming that “both countries stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.”
“We always believe that a steady, sound, and sustainable development of China-U.S. relationship serves the common interests of the two countries and is what the international community expects,” she told the press. “Following the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation, China stands ready to work with the new US government to enhance dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, find the right way for the two countries to get along with each other in the new era and bring benefits to both countries and the world.”
