President Donald Trump on Wednesday indicated he could think about reducing China tariffs as part of a potential deal that would see ByteDance divest TikTok's American operations.
In a press conference, Trump noted that China would be involved in the approval process of any divestment related to the social media site.
“They’ll have to be involved in the process,” he stated. “Maybe I’ll offer them a slight tariff reduction or something to make it happen. TikTok is significant, but every percentage point in tariffs holds more value than TikTok itself.”
Under a national security mandate, ByteDance must divest its U.S. TikTok operations or face an effective prohibition. Trump has already signed an executive order in January, advancing the deadline for a decision to April 5. He also stated that he prefers the U.S. maintaining a 50% ownership stake in TikTok through a joint venture.
Trump threatened to extend another deadline, saying, "We'll come to some kind of a deal, but if it's not completed, it's not a problem. We can always make it longer."
At the same time, Vice President JD Vance, in an NBC News interview last month, expressed hope for a timely settlement.
There will probably be a high-level deal that resolves our concerns regarding national security and guarantees a standalone American TikTok entity," Vance said.
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