On September 12, China’s Ministry of Commerce spokesperson announced that Vice Premier He Lifeng will lead a delegation to Spain on the 14th to hold talks with US Treasury Secretary Besant. Notably, TikTok will be one of the key topics in this China-US meeting. Compared to the agendas of China-US talks in Geneva, London, and Stockholm, this marks the first time TikTok has been explicitly listed as a negotiation topic in China-US talks.
The issue of TikTok becoming a “problem” in China-US trade negotiations stems from the US Congress using legislative means to suppress TikTok. Although Trump has delayed the implementation of the ban law three times since taking office, he has continuously proposed new requirements for controlling shares or acquisitions during the postponement period, attempting to force TikTok to accept the US-set terms through political pressure. However, TikTok has not yielded to the US’s constantly changing pressure tactics.
For the first time, TikTok has become an agenda item in China-US talks, attracting widespread attention from all sectors. In fact, regardless of the negotiation outcome, China’s agreement to discuss the TikTok issue with the US does not mean that China will change its existing principles and make concessions according to US demands.