A spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, stated at a briefing on Monday that issues concerning TikTok would be resolved in accordance with the laws and regulations of the country.
He emphasized that China has repeatedly clarified its position on TikTok and that all matters would be handled within the framework of Chinese legislation.
Earlier, Reuters reported that Chinese authorities did not approve a deal to separate the American operations of TikTok into a separate company, as the United States recently imposed tariffs on Chinese goods. The deal to split TikTok in the U.S. was completed on April 2. According to the terms, the social network’s American operations were to be transferred to a new company, the majority of which would be owned by American investors, with Chinese company ByteDance holding a 20% stake.
U.S. President Donald Trump had previously signed an order extending TikTok’s operations in the U.S. for 75 days to complete the restructuring. Last Wednesday, he also signed an order imposing reciprocal tariffs on goods imported from other countries. The base tariff rate will be 10%, with higher rates for most countries, depending on the U.S. trade deficit with them. For example, the tariff on goods from the EU will be 20%. Trump stated that these measures would help reduce the trade deficit and promote U.S. economic independence.
