A framework agreement between Washington and Beijing has raised hopes that TikTok may continue operating in the United States, easing months of uncertainty for advertisers, marketers, and creators.
A framework is in place
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed on 15 September that officials in Washington and Beijing had reached a “framework” agreement on TikTok’s future. Speaking during US-China trade talks in Madrid, Bessent explained that while the arrangement was largely a matter between private parties, the commercial terms had already been agreed.
“It’s between two private parties, but the commercial terms have been agreed upon,” Bessent said.
The development comes just days before a scheduled meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two leaders are expected to meet on 20 September to review and potentially finalise the deal.
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is facing a 17 September deadline to divest its US operations or risk being forced to shut down in the country. The looming date has heightened pressure on both sides to reach an agreement that would allow the app to remain accessible to millions of American users.
Political and commercial stakes
The potential deal is viewed as a turning point in a long-running technology dispute between the United States and China. Trump has repeatedly warned that TikTok cannot continue operating in the country without American ownership. In a post on Truth Social, he confirmed that an agreement had been struck involving a company “young people in our Country very much wanted to save.”
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer indicated that the divestment deadline could be extended slightly to allow time for formal signatures, though he emphasised that rolling extensions would not be permitted. This clarification followed months of executive order extensions that had temporarily delayed a possible shutdown of the platform.
Congress added to the pressure last year by barring Apple and Google from hosting TikTok in their US app stores, labelling it a “foreign adversary-controlled application.” The restriction intensified calls for a deal that would transfer ownership into American hands.
Potential buyers and next steps
Several high-profile figures and organisations have been linked as possible buyers of TikTok’s US operations. Among them are Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk, artificial intelligence start-up Perplexity, and Frank McCourt’s Project Liberty initiative.
The upcoming Trump–Xi meeting is expected to be decisive in determining whether the framework becomes a binding agreement. Should the deal proceed, it would avert TikTok’s forced exit from the US market and ease tensions between Washington and Beijing over technology ownership.
For TikTok users, creators, and advertisers, the outcome could finally provide clarity after months of uncertainty surrounding the platform’s future in the United States.
