TikTok's future in US hinges on Chinese approval

The fate of TikTok in the United States (US) now rests with Chinese authorities, according to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

In an interview with CNBC, Lutnick stated that unless Beijing approves a US-proposed deal to sell TikTok’s American operations, the platform could once again go offline in the country.

"If that deal gets approved by the Chinese, then that deal will happen. If they don't approve it, then TikTok is going to go dark," Lutnick said.

"And those decisions are coming very soon, so let's see what the Chinese do. They've got to approve it. The deal is over to them right now," he noted.

The potential deal would involve selling TikTok’s US assets to comply with American regulatory demands. Notably, a key deadline for that transaction is September 17.

The US President Donald Trump, who has been actively involved in pushing for the sale, has signed multiple executive orders extending the timeline.

The most recent extension came in June, marking the third such order aimed at pressuring ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company based in China, to divest its US holdings.

For those unversed, in January, TikTok briefly went dark for less than 24 hours in the US due to federal legislation signed by former President Joe Biden, illustrating the serious nature of the ongoing conflict over the app’s presence in the country.

However, when asked if the proposed deal is part of ongoing trade discussions with China, Lutnick clarified that while not formally included, the issue is inevitably being brought up.

“It’s not officially a part of it, but unofficially, of course, it’s going to be discussed,” he said.