U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to again extend a September 17 deadline for China’s Bytedance to divest the U.S. assets of video sharing app TikTok, Reuters reported on Sunday.
It would be the fourth such extension by Trump, who has repeatedly postponed the implementation of a federal ruling that bans the app in the United States. TikTok was initially set to shut down from January 2025, but was restored through one of Trump’s first executive orders in his first term.
High-level trade talks between the U.S. and China began in Spain on Sunday, with TikTok also being reportedly discussed. But a deal is not expected before September 17, Reuters reported, citing a source with knowledge of the matter.
TikTok was not discussed in earlier U.S.-China trade talks held in Geneva, London, and Stockholm.
Trump had in August signaled that he had U.S. buyers lined up for the app, and could extend its deadline further. His administration appears reluctant to take down the popular social media app, which has about 170 million users in the United States.
A U.S. buyer for TikTok’s local operations will also need to receive approval from Beijing. Earlier reports had shown well-capitalized companies such as Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN), or Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) could buy the app.
Youtuber James Donaldson, also known as MrBeast, and video sharing platform Rumble Inc (NASDAQ:RUM) have also expressed in purchasing TikTok.
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