WASHINGTON, June 30. /TASS/. China will follow its laws and regulations in matters concerning TikTok, Chinese Embassy Spokesperson Liu Pengyu told TASS.
When asked to comment on US President Donald Trump's statement that "a group of very wealthy people" is ready to buy TikTok from the Chinese company ByteDance, the diplomat said: "I am unaware of the situation. But on TikTok in general, the Chinese side has stated its positions on several occasions and will handle in light of Chinese laws and regulations."
"TikTok has been operating in the US for many years, and very popular among its American users. It has contributed also to American jobs and consumption," Liu Pengyu emphasized. "We have always hoped that the US side will listen to voices of rationality and offer an open, fair, impartial and non-discriminatory business environment for market entities of all nationalities," the diplomat stated.
The day before, Trump said in an interview with Fox News that the US had a buyer for TikTok. "I think I will need China[’s] approval, and I think [Chinese] President Xi [Jinping] will probably do it," the US leader said. According to him, the buyer will be made public "in about two weeks."
TikTok's operations in US
On June 19, Trump announced that he was extending the delay of the ban on the short video creation and viewing service in the US by 90 days, until September 17. A law requiring TikTok to be banned in the US if its parent company, ByteDance, does not sell it came into force about five months ago. Following his inauguration on January 20, Trump issued an executive order postponing the ban on TikTok in the US for at least 75 days. He also told reporters that the US should have a stake in TikTok but did not explain what that meant.
Trump has repeatedly said that he is "fond" of the platform because the votes of its young American users contributed to his 2024 presidential election victory. Liu Pengyu previously compared the situation surrounding the possible TikTok ban in the US to robbery in his comment to TASS.
In 2024, President Joe Biden signed a law requiring ByteDance to sell or cease TikTok's operations in the United States by January 19 of this year. According to media reports, the Washington administration tried to find candidates to purchase 50% of TikTok's shares.