讀後心得

U.S. President Trump announced that he will sign an executive order allowing TikTok to continue operating in the United States for 75 days, in order to give the government time to reach a deal with ByteDance. It is reported that a new company will be established in the U.S., with American investors holding the majority stake, while ByteDance will hold less than 20%. However, ByteDance stated that there are still disagreements between the two parties regarding the deal, and no final agreement has been reached. The Chinese government has not publicly committed to approving the transaction, and Trump's remarks indicate opposition from China. Trump stated on Twitter that the government is working to facilitate an agreement. His comments have sparked discussions about the potential security risks of TikTok, and the American public's attitude toward whether to ban the app is becoming increasingly divided.

U.S. President Trump said on Friday that he will sign an executive order allowing TikTok to continue operating in the U.S. for 75 days, granting the government more time to facilitate a deal. According to informed sources, the structure of the deal was basically finalized on Wednesday, which will separate TikTok's operating business to form a new company headquartered in the U.S., to be controlled and operated by American investors, while China's ByteDance will retain less than 20% of the shares. The deal has been approved by existing investors, new investors, ByteDance, and the U.S. government. However, ByteDance stated on Saturday that there are still disagreements regarding the transaction.

ByteDance issued a statement on its official account on China's social media platform WeChat, stating: “(We) are still negotiating with the U.S. government but have not yet reached an agreement, and there are still differences on many key issues.” The statement mentioned that, according to Chinese law, any agreement needs to go through relevant review procedures. When asked about the status of the TikTok deal, the Chinese Embassy in Washington stated in a declaration that China respects and protects the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises and opposes practices that violate the basic principles of a market economy.

Informed sources revealed that ByteDance has called the White House, indicating that China will not approve the transaction unless both parties can negotiate on trade and tariff issues. The main obstacle to the deal is the approval from the Chinese government. This transaction has undergone months of negotiations led by the Vice President, negotiating with several potential investors and ByteDance. The agreement plans a 120-day closing period to complete documentation and financing.

Trump stated on his social media platform: “My administration has been working hard to save the TikTok deal and has made great progress. The agreement still requires more effort to ensure the signing of all necessary approvals, which is why I am signing the executive order to allow TikTok to continue operating for 75 days.” Despite this deal, concerns about TikTok's security remain.

This extension by Trump is the second time he has delayed implementing TikTok-related legislation passed last year. The U.S. Congress passed the bill last year with an overwhelming majority, and it received a ruling from the Supreme Court stating that it needs to be enforced for national security reasons. Lawmakers have pointed out that the Chinese government may exploit TikTok to conduct espionage on Americans.

Trump has indicated that he is willing to lower tariffs on China to facilitate a deal for ByteDance to sell the app, which has 170 million users in the U.S. Media reports suggest that some of the U.S. investors include Oracle and Blackstone. If the deal goes through, TikTok's safety concerns will still be questioned.

While Trump's decision to delay has faced some criticism, it has not yet encountered challenges in court. Legal experts state that such opposing actions are unlikely to arise, as plaintiffs need to have standing to sue and must demonstrate actual harm caused by the legal delay.

The American public's attitude towards TikTok has also become more divided than two years ago, with a recent survey finding that about one-third of Americans support banning TikTok, approximately one-third oppose the ban, and another third are uncertain. Among those supporting the ban, about 80% believe that user data security risks are the primary concern.

As this issue continues to receive attention, many content creators hope for a clear outcome soon so they can focus their energy on other matters. They emphasize that the ongoing uncertainty has impacted their work.