China suggests it is open to a deal with the US for TikTok after all

China has provided the strongest indication yet that it wants to secure a which will keep TikTok running in the US. The country previously said it would block any forced sale of the app, but said otherwise after President-elect Donald Trump indicated it would be of TikTok between US and Chinese interests.

“When it comes to actions such as business management and acquisition, we believe that they should be independently decided by companies in accordance with market principles,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning . “If it’s Chinese companies, China’s laws and regulations must be followed.”

Mao noted that TikTok “has played a positive role in boosting US employment and consumption” and expressed the ministry’s hope that “the US will sincerely listen to the voice of reason and provide an open, honest, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for market entities from all sides.”

A law banning TikTok in the US went into effect on Sunday. The video sharing app . Users were unable to download it from app stores and even people overseas with a US-based TikTok account could not access it.

Service was restored hours later after Trump promised to sign an executive order on Monday, after his inauguration, “to extend the period of time before the law’s bans go into effect so that we can make a defense deal of our national security. The order will also confirm that it will not be held liable for any company that helped keep TikTok from disappearing before my order.”

According to The Wall Street Journal, TikTok and founder Zhang Yimin has a key contact that could pave the way for at least partial US ownership of TikTok in Elon Musk. He reportedly spoke with the Trump confidant in late 2024, after it looked more likely that the law would go into effect. Zhang is said to have majority control of TikTok’s parent company through voting rights, but does not currently hold an executive position at ByteDance.