The chair of a House committee on China, a Michigan Republican, has formally requested an urgent White House briefing regarding ongoing negotiations for a potential TikTok divestment deal. This action marks the initial congressional effort to conduct oversight into the agreement, following recent meetings between U.S. and Chinese officials in Spain to discuss a framework for the deal.
President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order offering support for the proposed deal, stating that Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed to advance negotiations. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was present during the signing. Vice President JD Vance has publicly assured that the deal aims to keep TikTok operational while simultaneously protecting American users’ data privacy, as required by law.
Key specifics of the potential deal, including a new U.S. venture licensing TikTok’s proprietary algorithm, remain largely undisclosed. Concerns have been voiced, notably by Singleton, who suggests that ByteDance retaining its position as the largest single shareholder and securing a board seat in a restructured TikTok U.S. venture could perpetuate Chinese influence over the application. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld the TikTok law in January, providing a backdrop to these ongoing discussions.
Source: indianexpress.com