Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Chinese Executive: Forced Sale of TikTok May Be Inevitable Amid US Scrutiny

John Xie

   The Chinese company that owns popular video-sharing app TikTok is
   exploring all possibilities to ensure that its subsidiary can continue
   operating in the United States, according to a memo sent out Monday by
   Chief Executive Officer Zhang Yiming.

   Beijing-based ByteDance has come under pressure from Washington to sell
   off its U.S. TikTok operations over concerns that the company's links
   to the Chinese government threaten the privacy of U.S. citizens.

   Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News on Sunday that President
   Donald Trump is likely to take action in the coming days. People
   familiar with the matter told Reuters that Trump agreed to give
   ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a sale to Microsoft.

   In the meantime, Microsoft said in a blog post Sunday that its CEO,
   Satya Nadella, and Trump had a conversation on the potential
   acquisition and "Microsoft is prepared to continue discussions to
   explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States."

   Zhang, who founded ByteDance in 2012, said Monday that his teams are
   working around-the-clock "for the best outcome." Without naming
   Microsoft directly, Zhang acknowledged that ByteDance is in
   negotiations with a tech firm, but "we have not decided on the final
   solution yet. The attention of the outside world and rumors around
   TikTok might last for a while," he said.

   According to the memo that was reported in the Chinese media, Zhang
   complained to his employees that "the current geopolitical and public
   opinion environment is becoming more and more complex. TikTok's U.S.
   business is facing the possibility of being forced to sell by CFIUS, or
   TikTok products may be banned in the United States due to
   administrative orders."

.