Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Syrian sources: The Israeli occupation has begun withdrawing from the areas it infiltrated last night in the Quneitra countryside.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Massive bombings in eastern Gaza, the second within half an hour, and its sound was heard from central area.
Russian air defense units destroyed a drone that was heading toward Moscow.
Maduro: Tomorrow, a business meeting will be held bringing together hundreds of entrepreneurs from advanced Russian industries with hundreds of Venezuelan businesspeople.
Maduro: In the face of threats, Trinidad and Tobago agreed to suspend all effects of the energy agreement and everything that had been agreed upon in that regard.
Maduro: It’s time to make a choice, either stand with the warmongers who want death and violence, or stand with life.
Maduro: They want our wealth. This is not about drug trafficking, and they know it.
Maduro: Everyone in the world knows that what the economic elite ruling the United States seeks today is Venezuela’s oil, gas, and gold.
Maduro: The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago is complicit and promoting war due to her personal, physical, mental, and moral weaknesses.
President Nicolás Maduro: A series of arrests have been carried out against what could be a group of mercenaries trained and funded by the CIA.

Trump extends TikTok sale deadline to June 18

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 4 Apr 2025 22:20
4 Min Read

ByteDance, which owns TikTok, has been under intense pressure from the US to sell its company to a non-Chinese owner and dilute their share.

Listen
  • x
  • US President Donald Trump talks on the phone as he arrives at the Trump International Golf Club, Friday, April 4, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Florida (AP)
    US President Donald Trump talks on the phone as he arrives at the Trump International Golf Club, Friday, April 4, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Florida (AP)

US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he is extending by 75 days the deadline for Chinese technology company ByteDance to divest its US assets tied to the popular short video app TikTok.

The original deadline, set for Saturday under a 2024 law, now moves to mid-June, as Trump explained that "more work" is needed to finalize the deal.

"The deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed," Trump stated on social media, while also expressing hope to continue engaging in "good faith" negotiations with China. The delay comes amid escalating trade tensions, with Trump having recently increased tariffs on Chinese goods by 34%, prompting China to retaliate on Friday.

ByteDance, which owns TikTok, has been under intense pressure from US lawmakers who claim the app has certain potential security risks. TikTok, which boasts 170 million users in the US, must find a non-Chinese buyer for its American operations or face a potential ban.

A ByteDance spokesperson confirmed on Friday that discussions with the US government are ongoing but emphasized that "key matters" remain unresolved. "Any agreement will be subject to approval under Chinese law," the spokesperson said, underscoring the difficulty of obtaining approval from the Chinese government for such a deal.

Talks to sell TikTok's US operations

Trump’s administration has been in talks with four unnamed groups regarding the sale of TikTok’s US operations. However, a significant barrier to any agreement is obtaining Chinese government approval, which has not been forthcoming.

"We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the deal," Trump wrote, adding that he does not want the app to "go dark."

Related News

Trump, Takaichi sign rare earths deal to strengthen US-Japan alliance

Former US officials urge dropping charges against former FBI director

The extension is also linked to the ongoing US-China tariff dispute. China currently faces a 54% tariff on exports into the US following Trump's recent tariff hike, prompting retaliatory measures from Beijing. Trump has signaled that he may reduce tariffs if a deal with ByteDance can be reached.

The White House's proposed solution centers on increasing the stakes of non-Chinese investors in ByteDance’s parent company, diluting Chinese ownership below the 20% threshold required by US law. Reuters has reported that this restructuring plan is viewed as the key to saving TikTok from a potential ban in the US.

'Divest or face ban'

The US House of Representatives passed legislation in March requiring ByteDance to sell the social media platform or risk a total ban in the US. The vote received 352 Congress members' approval. Only 65 voted no. 

The law, which was expedited to a vote after being unanimously approved by a committee last week, provides China-based ByteDance with 165 days to withdraw from TikTok. If it did not, app shops such as the Apple App Store and Google Play would be legally prohibited from hosting TikTok or offering web hosting services to ByteDance-controlled applications.

The vote is the latest in an ongoing political struggle over claims that the China-based business collects sensitive user data and deliberately censors material. TikTok has frequently declared that it does not and will not share US user data with the Chinese authorities.

Despite these concerns, Donald Trump sought to prohibit TikTok in 2020, and Montana passed a state-wide ban in 2023. Both bans were overturned by courts on the basis that they violated the First Amendment, and Trump has subsequently switched his position, now opposing a TikTok ban.

China could use TikTok to 'influence' US elections, spy chief says

During a House of Representatives intelligence committee hearing, Avril Haines, the US director of national intelligence, claimed that China might leverage the social media app TikTok to impact the 2024 US elections.

In response to a question from Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi regarding whether China's ruling Communist Party (CCP) would use TikTok to influence the elections, Haines stated, "We cannot dismiss the possibility that the CCP would utilize it."

Lawmakers expressed concerns that the Chinese government could access user data or influence what content the users see, adding that they could be trying to "exacerbate political divisions within the United States."

Krishnamoorthi, the ranking Democrat on the House Select Committee on China, and the panel's Republican chair, Mike Gallagher, introduced a bill last week that would mandate that TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, divest the short video app within approximately six months.

  • United States
  • Donald Trump
  • ByteDance
  • TikTok
  • TikTok ban

Most Read

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

  • Technology
  • 24 Oct 2025
Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

  • Politics
  • 27 Oct 2025
Abu Hamza, the spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, during a speech televised on October 22, 2025 (Al-Quds Brigades Military Media)

Al-Quds Brigades' Abu Hamza mourns leaders, vows continued resistance

  • Politics
  • 22 Oct 2025
US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

  • Africa
  • 23 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Delta Air Lines flight lands at Harry Reid International Airport, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Las Vegas (AP)
Politics

Nearly 3,800 US flights disrupted amid ongoing government shutdown

FILE - The Amazon logo is pictured at the Amazon Robotic Sorting Fulfillment Center in Madison County, Miss., Aug. 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Economy

Amazon to cut 30,000 jobs in largest layoff in company history

Eurofighter Typhoon Spain's Air Force fighter jets fly above the military parade marking 'Día de la Hispanidad', or Hispanic Day, in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP)
Politics

UK sells 20 Eurofighter jets to Türkiye in £8bln defense agreement

Smoke billows after drone strikes by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted the northern port in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, Sudan, May 6, 2025 (AP)
Politics

RSF tighten El Fasher siege as Sudan risks fragmentation: Reuters

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS