The Trump administration is expected to delay enforcement of a law requiring Chinese tech firm ByteDance to sell or shut down its U.S. operations of TikTok, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday days ahead of a 17 September deadline.
If confirmed, the move would mark the fourth such reprieve granted by U.S. President Donald Trump since taking office in January.
ByteDance was initially given until January 2025 to comply with legislation passed by Congress, citing national security concerns over potential Chinese surveillance or censorship via the app.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump gave an ambiguous response when asked about TikTok's future.
“I may or may not, we're negotiating TikTok right now. We may let it die, or we may, I don't know, it depends, up to China,” he said. “It doesn't matter too much. I'd like to do it for the kids.”
The White House has not commented on the expected extension, but the delay reflects the administration's hesitance to shut down an app reportedly used by 170 million Americans.
A previous attempt to spin off TikTok’s U.S. business into a company controlled by U.S. investors stalled in the spring, after Beijing signalled it would block any deal involving TikTok’s proprietary algorithm.
Progress on negotiations has since been slow.
On Sunday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer held trade talks in Madrid, Spain with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and top negotiator Li Chenggang.
TikTok was formally included on the agenda for the first time, the source said, though a deal is not expected before the 17 September deadline.
The latest round of negotiations - the fourth in four months - took place at the baroque Palacio de Santa Cruz that houses Spain's foreign ministry and concluded its first day on Sunday after about six hours with no indication of a breakthrough.
China's embassy in Madrid notified reporters of a potential concluding news conference on Monday afternoon, indicating that the talks could wrap up quickly. Some previous discussions over more complicated issues, such as talks in London over rare earths shipments, extended to a third day.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 13th of February, covering the latest developments you need to...
A bipartisan group of 37 U.S. lawmakers have written to senior Taiwanese politicians expressing concern about parliament stalling proposed defence spe...
The Bangladesh National Party (BNP) won a decisive two-thirds majority in Friday's (13 February) general elections, a result expected to bring stabili...
Russia has outlined potential areas for economic cooperation with the Trump administration, including a possible return to using the U.S. dollar in bi...
Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered a major prehistoric site in South Sinai dating back around 10,000 years, revealing layers of human activity car...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 13th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered a major prehistoric site in South Sinai dating back around 10,000 years, revealing layers of human activity carved into rock across millennia.
Türkiye and Serbia agreed to expand cooperation across defence, foreign policy and economic relations following talks between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Aleksandar Vučić in Ankara.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Israeli President Isaac Herzog is “disgraceful” for not granting a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding that he “should be ashamed of himself”.
James Van Der Beek, who rose to fame as Dawson Leery in the hit teen drama Dawson’s Creek, has died aged 48 following a battle with stage 3 colorectal cancer.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister of Israel Trump hosted Netanyahu for closed-door talks focused on negotiations with Tehran, Gaza and wider rBenjamin Netanyahu ended a two-and-a-half-hour meeting at The White House on Wednesday without reaching agreement on how to move forward on Iran.
Norway’s Sturla Holm Laegreid, who won bronze in the men’s biathlon at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Tuesday (10 February) in Italy, stunned viewers by publicly admitting he had cheated on his girlfriend and pleaded for another chance during post-race interviews.
Türkiye and Greece signalled renewed political will to ease long-standing tensions during high-level talks in Ankara on Wednesday (11 February). Maritime borders, migration and trade topped the agenda as both leaders struck a cautiously optimistic tone.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday (11 February) that his government will only hold national elections once a ceasefire with Russia is in place and security guarantees are secured, pushing back at suggestions of fresh ballots under pressure from international partners.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 13th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
A bipartisan group of 37 U.S. lawmakers have written to senior Taiwanese politicians expressing concern about parliament stalling proposed defence spending, saying that the threat posed by China has never been greater.
The Bangladesh National Party (BNP) won a decisive two-thirds majority in Friday's (13 February) general elections, a result expected to bring stability after months of tumult following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a Gen Z-led uprising in 2024.
Russia has outlined potential areas for economic cooperation with the Trump administration, including a possible return to using the U.S. dollar in bilateral dealings, Bloomberg News reported, citing an internal Kremlin memo.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Israeli President Isaac Herzog is “disgraceful” for not granting a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding that he “should be ashamed of himself”.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment