"Trump Administration Expected to Extend TikTok Sale Deadline Again"

'TikTok Sale' Becomes Key Agenda in Fourth US-China Trade Talks
Deadline Extended for the Fourth Time

Reuters reported on September 14 (local time) that the Donald Trump administration is expected to once again extend the deadline for ByteDance to sell its U.S. TikTok operations.

According to sources, the TikTok issue is expected to be discussed in connection with high-level trade talks between the United States and China held that day in Madrid, Spain. However, it is not expected that an agreement will be reached before the 17th.

The original deadline for the sale was January 19 of this year, but President Trump extended it three times, pushing it back to the 17th of this month.

As the fourth round of trade negotiations between the United States and China is underway, the main point of contention in this round is the sale of TikTok. However, since the first day of talks ended without any significant progress, it is interpreted as an intention to extend the negotiation deadline until a final conclusion is reached.

The U.S. delegation, led by Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer, and the Chinese delegation, led by Vice Premier He Lifeng, met face-to-face at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Madrid that afternoon. Sources said that the TikTok issue was officially included as an agenda item in this U.S.-China trade meeting, which provides the Trump administration with political justification for another extension of the sale deadline.

Reuters reported, "President Trump would prefer to keep TikTok rather than shut it down, considering its 170 million users in the United States."

So far, the Trump administration has pressured ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, to sell its U.S. operations, citing national security concerns. However, the administration has recently shown a contradictory stance, such as by creating an official White House TikTok account.