A recent meeting between then-U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s top leader Xi Jinping on Thursday, October 30, 2025, aimed to reduce trade tensions, yielding several agreements. However, a definitive resolution regarding TikTok’s ownership remained elusive.
Following the discussions, China’s Commerce Ministry stated its intention to collaborate with the U.S. to appropriately address concerns surrounding TikTok. Despite this assurance, the Ministry did not provide any specific updates on the progress made to alleviate the ongoing uncertainty about the widely-used video-sharing platform’s status in America.
Previously, the Trump administration had hinted at nearing a potential agreement with Beijing that would allow TikTok to continue operating within the U.S.
Government sources clarified that the TikTok ban was not lifted, despite reports of the website being accessible.
Earlier, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had indicated on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that both leaders were expected to finalize the transaction. This comes after significant bipartisan support in Congress led to a law, signed by President Joe Biden, which would prohibit TikTok’s operation in the U.S. unless it transitioned ownership from China’s ByteDance. Although the platform briefly ceased operations on a January deadline, then-President Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office, permitting its continued function while his administration sought a sale agreement.
Subsequently, three additional executive orders were issued by Mr. Trump, extending deadlines for a TikTok resolution without a clear legal foundation. In April, White House officials believed they were close to a deal to establish TikTok as a new U.S.-owned entity. However, this fell through when China withdrew its participation after Mr. Trump imposed significantly increased tariffs on Chinese goods. Further deadlines in June and September also passed, with Mr. Trump ultimately stating his intention to permit TikTok’s ongoing operation in the United States, provided it addressed national security concerns.
In related news, the EU has preliminarily found both Meta and TikTok to be in breach of certain transparency obligations.
The intent behind Mr. Trump’s executive order was to facilitate the acquisition of the app from China’s ByteDance by an American-led investor group, a deal that would still necessitate China’s formal approval.
However, Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the German Marshall Fund’s Indo-Pacific program, commented during a media briefing on October 28, 2025, that the TikTok deal isn’t a significant priority for Xi Jinping. She suggested that China would likely be content for Mr. Trump to declare a successful agreement. A crucial concern, Glaser highlighted, is whether any resulting deal would genuinely safeguard American user data and align with existing U.S. laws passed by Congress.
According to a Pew Research Centre report released in September, approximately 43% of U.S. adults under 30 regularly access news through TikTok. This figure surpasses the news consumption rates from other major social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, highlighting TikTok’s significant influence among younger demographics.
A more recent survey by the Pew Research Centre revealed a shift in public opinion: roughly one-third of Americans now support a TikTok ban, a decrease from 50% in March 2023. Concurrently, about one-third oppose a ban, with a similar proportion remaining undecided.
The report further indicated that among those who favored a ban, nearly 80% primarily cited concerns about user data security as a key reason for their stance.
The White House previously stated that Americans would hold a dominant position on the board of any new U.S.-based TikTok entity.
At the heart of the security debate lies TikTok’s recommendation algorithm, which continuously feeds millions of users an endless stream of short videos. China has asserted that, by law, this algorithm must remain under its control. Conversely, a U.S. regulation, passed with strong bipartisan backing in Congress, mandates that any divestment of TikTok would necessitate the platform completely severing its ties with ByteDance.
U.S. officials have raised concerns that the algorithm — a sophisticated system dictating personalized content delivery — could be susceptible to manipulation by Chinese authorities. However, no concrete evidence has been publicly presented by U.S. officials to substantiate claims of attempted manipulation by China.