Skip linksSkip to Content.css-v2kfba{height:100%;width:100%;}play Live Sign upShow navigation menu.css-15ru6p1{font-size:inherit;font-weight:normal;}Navigation menuShow more news sectionsMoreShow more sectionsplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-leftWhat’s fuelling political violence in the US?Who is Tyler Robinson?Is Chicago the violent crime capital of the US?How did India-US relations decline so fast?Who was Charlie Kirk?caret-right|TikTok ban in flux as White House announces China-US framework dealThe deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok to a US buyer or go dark was Wednesday.The White House declined to outline the specifics of the deal, saying it was an agreement between two 'private parties' [File: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters]By and ReutersPublished On 15 Sep 202515 Sep 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2SharefacebooktwitterwhatsappcopylinkSaveThe United States and China have reached a framework agreement to transfer TikTok’s ownership to US control.Officials from both countries made the announcement on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘No consignments’ to the US as tariffs hit India’s carpet industrylist 2 of 4US DoJ asks court for emergency ruling to remove Cook from Fed boardlist 3 of 4US Fed expected to cut rates amid cooling labour market, surging inflationlist 4 of 4US, China talk trade amid threats over Russian oil, TikTok banend of listThe short-form video app was set to be banned in the US by Wednesday if its owner, ByteDance, did not agree to sell the company to a US-based operation or if the US did not extend a pause of the ban, which the White House has already done three times, .US President Donald Trump applauded the deal, which will be confirmed when he discusses it with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on Friday.“A deal was also reached on a “certain” company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social on Monday.“The relationship remains a very strong one!!!”The White House declined to outline the terms of the deal, which was negotiated during between the two countries in Madrid. The two-day meeting, which wrapped up on Monday, was the latest in a slew of negotiations that began in May.“We’re not going to talk about the commercial terms of the deal. It’s between two private parties, but the commercial terms have been agreed upon,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters.Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who was also part of the trade delegation in Madrid, said China wanted concessions on trade and technology in exchange for agreeing to divest from the popular social media app.“Our Chinese counterparts have come with a very aggressive ask,” Bessent said, adding, “We are not willing to sacrifice national security for a social media app.” Advertisement “TikTok’s divestment agreement not only keeps the app running in the US, but is also expected to help de-escalate a tense trade standoff and lay groundwork for further trade talks between the US and China,” Maria Pechurina, director of international trade at Peacock Tariff Consulting, told Al Jazeera. “Both US and Chinese delegations explicitly linked the fate of TikTok to progress on tariff reductions and related trade concessions during their conversations in Madrid.”The deal comes despite the US pushing other nations to impose tariffs on China over purchases of Russian oil, which Bessent said was discussed briefly with the US’s Chinese counterparts.Experts warn to be wary of the deal being set until Xi and Trump speak on Friday.“It’s important to note that the Chinese often see the signing of a deal as the beginning, and not the end, of any negotiations. The devil would lie in the details behind the optics. Also expect much haggling on important details that may take years,” Usha Hayley, a professor of international business at Wichita State University who specialises in Chinese industry, told Al Jazeera. , Looming Deadline for TikTok The framework could avert a looming U.S. ban on TikTok, which is owned by the China-based company ByteDance. A law passed in April 2024 and upheld by the Supreme Court , TikTok users in the U.S. may get a reprieve from the threat of a shutdown after the Trump administration announced it has reached a framework deal with China for the ownership of popular social video platform..