TikTok: 10 things we know about US-China framework agreement

The US and Chinese authorities have reached a framework agreement to hand over the TikTok application to US-controlled ownership. The ownership and the agreement will be confirmed after the US President Donald Trump and the Chinese President Xi Jinping's phone call on Friday. TikTok has over 170 million users in the US and is one of the most successful social platforms across the world.

What do we know about the US-China TikTok deal?

1. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent toldReuters that the September 17 deadline pushed Chinese negotiators to reach the agreement.
2. The US administrationhad warned the Chinese app that its services wouldbe disrupted if it didn't reach a deal.
3. He told theagency that the deadline could be extended by three months to allow time for the finalization of the deal.
4. He, however, declined to discussthe content of the proposed agreement. He said that the Chinese negotiators cared aboutthe cultural aspects of the application.
5. He said the Chinese negotiators care about the Chinese characteristics of the app. He said that they think these features are the country's soft power.
6. The US, however, cares about national security, not the Chinese characteristics.
7. US President Donald Trump said his administration hasn't decided that China would hold a stake in the company. He said he will speak to Xi Jinping for confirmation on that.
8. This is the second time the two sides announced a deal. In March, the two sides didn't go through with the agreement after the announcement.
9. The agreement would require the ratification of Congress, which is dominated by Donald Trump's Republican Party. In 2024, the US Congress passed a law mandating divestiture of the company, fearing that the US user data could be accessed by the Chinese government.
10. China's top trade negotiator, Li Chenggang, told reporters that the two sides had reached a "basic framework consensus" on resolving TikTok-related issues.