Beijing Favors TikTok US Shutdown Over Forced Sale to Avoid Appearing Weak
Chinese officials reportedly prefer shutting down TikTok in the US rather than forcing ByteDance to sell the app, as they believe a coerced deal makes the company and the country look weak. Beijing plans to use recent export restrictions to delay or block any potential acquisition.
Chinese officials strongly oppose a forced sale of TikTok’s US operations and prefer to see the popular short-form video app shut down entirely in the country. Sources report that Beijing views a coerced divestment by ByteDance as a sign of weakness in the face of mounting pressure from the Trump administration.
President Trump issues a mid-September deadline for ByteDance to finalize a sale to American buyers like Microsoft or Oracle, threatening a complete ban if no agreement is reached. Despite these high stakes, ByteDance publicly states that the Chinese government never instructs the company to close down its operations in the US or any other market.
To prevent a forced transaction, China is willing to leverage recent revisions to its technology exports list to delay or block any potential deal. A foreign ministry spokesman condemns the US for abusing national security concepts and urges an end to the oppression of foreign businesses amid this escalating clash between global powers.