United States President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he is open to reducing tariffs on China to facilitate a deal for ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, to sell the popular short-video app used by 170 million Americans.
ByteDance faces an April 5 deadline to divest TikTok to a non-Chinese buyer or risk a nationwide ban on national security grounds. The ban, initially set to take effect in January, was mandated under a 2024 law due to concerns that TikTok’s Chinese ownership could enable Beijing to conduct influence operations and collect data on U.S. users.
Trump also indicated he might extend the April deadline if a deal is not reached. Acknowledging China’s influence over any potential agreement, he suggested tariff reductions could serve as an incentive. “Maybe I’ll give them a little reduction in tariffs or something to get it done,” he told reporters.