讀後心得

TikTok has only a few hours left to find a non-Chinese buyer to avoid being banned in the United States. The app has over 170 million users in the U.S. and is facing legal threats demanding a complete separation from its parent company, ByteDance. President Trump has extended the deadline to April 5, 2025, and stated that negotiations are close to being finalized. Potential buyers include Oracle and Blackstone, while the ownership of the algorithm remains a point of contention. Trump himself had previously supported the ban but has now shifted to defend TikTok, believing it can attract young voters.

Short video platform TikTok has only a few hours left to find a non-Chinese buyer to avoid being banned in the United States. This popular video-sharing app has over 170 million users in the U.S. and is currently facing legal threats. A law was overwhelmingly passed last year, requiring TikTok to completely separate from its Chinese parent company, or it would face a ban in the U.S. The U.S. President has extended the deadline to April 5, 2025, at midnight (04:00 GMT on April 5). In a recent press conference, the President stated that his administration is "very close" to reaching a sale agreement for TikTok and mentioned that there are "multiple investors" involved, but he did not disclose specific details.

Discussions regarding the deal and tax reductions have raised concerns, as the President hinted that he might consider reducing tariffs on China if the Chinese government approves the sale of TikTok. He mentioned, "As long as they give us some benefits, like TikTok." He added that China may demand concessions on tariffs. Currently, U.S. import tariffs on goods from China can be as high as 54%. TikTok has yet to respond to this matter.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that the Vice President will make a decision to force the sale of TikTok to a U.S. buyer before this weekend. This decision will be announced before the deadline and stated that the developments are progressing smoothly.

Out of national security considerations, Washington generally believes that TikTok could ultimately be controlled by the Chinese government, which is why a ban effective January 19 briefly removed TikTok from U.S. app stores and suspended its services during the final hours. Following the ban’s implementation, the President immediately announced a 75-day grace period, during which TikTok resumed its services.

Currently, the most likely solution is for ByteDance’s existing U.S. investors to transfer their stakes into a new, independent global TikTok company, while bringing in more U.S. investors to reduce the Chinese ownership percentage. Reports suggest that Amazon also expressed acquisition intentions in the final stages, along with other bidders such as Frank McCourt and participating startups showing interest in purchasing.

However, the ownership issue of TikTok's core algorithm remains highly uncertain. According to reports, the new company may license the algorithm from ByteDance, but such an arrangement could violate the core spirit of the law, as the algorithm could be "weaponized" by the Chinese government, threatening U.S. interests. The President had supported banning TikTok during his term but has recently begun to become its defender, believing that TikTok can attract more young voters.

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