China would rather see ByteDance close TikTok US operations than sell it

Reports have emerged that China would prefer that ByteDance close TikTok US operations than to forcibly sell it to any company.

According to the Reuters report, a forced sale would make both ByteDance and China appear weak in the face of pressure from America.

The report said China was willing to use revisions it made to a technology exports list on Aug. 28 to delay any deal reached by ByteDance, if it had to.

President Trump recently reiterated that there will be no extension to the deadline given for the sale of video-sharing app, TikTok. The Trump administration had earlier set September 15 as the deadline for the sale of TikTok operations in the United States.

However, Trump issued two executive orders that have appeared to extend the deadline, first to September 20, then to mid-November.

On the other hand, ByteDance says that the Chinese government had never suggested to it that it should shut down TikTok in the United States or in any other markets.

A couple of companies including Microsoft, Twitter, Oracle have expressed interest in buying the US operations of TikTok after the Trump administration’s ban on the company’s operating in the US. Trump’s officials have continuously criticised the app’s security and privacy, suggesting that user data might be shared with Beijing. TikTok has said it would not comply with any request to share user data with the Chinese authorities.

A fallout of the tensions led to the resignation of Kevin Mayer, CEO of TikTok in US in August.