According to President Trump, who has now discussed things with Chinese Dictator Xi Jinping over the phone, “The call was a very good one, we will be speaking again by phone, appreciate the TikTok approval.”
Trump means that Xi’s government will now let Beijing-based ByteDance sell TikTok to U.S. buyers in accordance with U.S. congressional legislation—legislation that has not yet really been enacted. The mandatory alternative to expeditious divestiture and transfer of TikTok to acceptable U.S. owners was to be a ban of TikTok in the United States. However, because of repeated intervention by the Trump administration in contradiction of the new law, neither has happened in the months since the law supposedly took effect in January 2025.
Vague
“Vague,” The New York Times calls the president’s initial report of the call with Xi (September 19, 2025).
Also vague, but telling—what Politico describes as conveying “a different takeaway”—is a Chinese Communist Party news agency report of the call. According to this CCP takeaway, Xi “respects the wishes of companies and welcomes them to conduct commercial negotiations based on market rules….” Would that be market rules as molded by the requirements of “socialism with Chinese characteristics”?
The respect for the wishes of market actors to make deals so long as in accordance with unspecified market rules is followed in the CCP takeaway by the specification that any solutions reached by companies making deals (in accordance with the unspecified market rules) must also “comply with Chinese laws and regulations and balance interests.”
What is the party-state’s interest that must be incorporated into any “balance”?
This proviso might as well have said instead that a sale of TikTok to U.S. buyers may proceed “as long as the Chinese Communist Party can continue to extract the surveillance and propaganda value from TikTok that we have been extracting hitherto.”
True divestment
That a sale of TikTok to U.S. companies won’t constitute a clean break from CCP control is what security-minded American observers are worried about.
Two Heritage Foundation scholars have issued a statement warning of the folly of a semi-divestment: “A true divestment, in which TikTok’s algorithm and U.S. user data are fully controlled by a friendly entity, would be a resounding national security victory for the Trump Administration. But a halfway deal that leaves a backdoor open for Beijing, such as an algorithm license, presents the same threats we currently face and should be rejected. If China refuses real divestment, President Trump should call their bluff and ban TikTok outright.”
Also see:
Heritage Foundation: “TikTok Generation: A CCP Official in Every Pocket” (March 22, 2023)
