The White House has announced that US companies will take control of TikTok’s algorithm and Americans will hold six of seven board seats for its U.S. operations under a long-awaited deal with China. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it could be signed “in the coming days,” though Beijing has yet to comment. Washington has pushed to separate TikTok’s US arm from Chinese parent ByteDance on national security grounds, with the app earlier ordered to sell its U.S. operations or face a ban. President Trump has delayed the ban four times since January, most recently extending it to December. On Friday, Trump said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping approved the deal in a phone call he described as “productive,” noting he “appreciated” Xi’s approval, though Beijing has not confirmed. China’s Commerce Ministry said on Saturday it “respects the wishes of the enterprise” and supports negotiations within market rules and Chinese law.
