Chinese FM responds to Trump's reported proposal of 50% U.S. ownership in TikTok

Responding to TikTok resuming service in the U.S. as well as the proposed deal by President-elect Donald Trump that would give the U.S. a 50 percent stake in a joint venture of the company, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday that China hopes the U.S. will seriously listen to rational voices and provide an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment for market participants from various countries in the U.S.

TikTok has been operating in the U.S. for many years and is very popular among American users, adding that the app has played a positive role in boosting employment and consumption in the U.S.

As for business operations and acquisitions, Mao said: "We have always believed that such decisions should be made according to market principles and be determined by the companies themselves." 

If Chinese companies are involved, they should comply with Chinese laws and regulations, Mao added.

In a separate response to a foreign media question on the remarks made by Elon Musk on Sunday on X claiming that "the current situation where TikTok is allowed to operate in America, but X is not allowed to operate in China is 'unbalanced,' and something needs to change," Mao said on Monday that the Chinese government manages the internet in accordance with the law, and we welcome internet enterprises from all countries to develop in China as long as they comply with Chinese laws and regulations and provide safe and reliable products and services.

Also when asked by another foreign media reporter about China's response to Elon Musk's remarks questioning whether the U.S. should allow platforms like TikTok to operate, claiming it has the potential to collect data on Americans and control the content broadcast to millions of people in the U.S., the foreign ministry spokesperson responded that China has always believed that internet companies should comply with local laws and regulations.

As for the Chinese government, we attach great importance to protecting data privacy and security in accordance with the law, and we have never and will never require companies or individuals to collect or provide data located abroad against local laws, Mao said.