Under Chinese law, TikTok’s key technologies, including its algorithm, are subject to export control.
Beijing said on Monday that any acquisition of TikTok should be done according to “China’s laws and regulations” after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump proposed a joint venture model to keep the app running in the United States.
TikTok went dark for hours on Sunday as a ban on the app took effect. The social media app was banned from the United States because its parent company, China-based ByteDance Ltd., is subject to the control of the Chinese communist regime, a foreign adversary of the United States, and had not divested from California-based TikTok Inc. before the deadline.
However, TikTok restored service later on Sunday, saying that a statement from then-President-elect Trump calling for companies to save the app had provided “the necessary clarity and assurance” that the company could continue to operate.
In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump said he would issue an executive order on Monday following his inauguration to delay the ban and find another solution.
Two Republican senators have warned app store operators that they should keep following the law, saying there was “no legal basis for any kind of ‘extension’ of its effective date.”
Trump also proposed that the United States acquire a 50 percent ownership position in a joint venture to “save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to [stay] up.”
Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz said on Sunday that the incoming administration was looking for an option to save the app while protecting Americans’ data and protecting them from foreign influence.
Speaking from Beijing on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters that companies should be allowed to make their own decisions on their operations and acquisitions.
“If it involves Chinese companies, China’s laws and regulations should be observed,” she said.
Mao also denied that TikTok has harmed U.S. national security.
TikTok, a spinoff of Chinese social media platform Douyin, uses a powerful algorithm to recommend videos and create personalized content feeds.
By Lily Zhou
