President Trump says he got Beijing's blessing for his TikTok deal, but China isn't talking - and that silence might be the most telling part of the story. While Trump signed executive orders Thursday claiming Chinese President Xi Jinping gave him the "go ahead," Chinese state media has gone radio silent, and ByteDance didn't even show up to the signing ceremony.
The most striking thing about Trump's TikTok deal announcement wasn't what was said - it was what wasn't. While the President spent Thursday claiming he'd secured China's blessing for a restructuring that would keep TikTok alive in America, Beijing's response has been deafening silence.
Chinese state media, usually quick to trumpet any perceived diplomatic wins, stayed mum on the deal. Social media chatter was minimal, with only one state-affiliated Weibo account bothering to quote a Fudan University professor calling it a "win-win." That's hardly the victory lap you'd expect if China actually endorsed Trump's proposal.
Even more telling: ByteDance didn't send anyone to Trump's executive order signing ceremony. The company that supposedly agreed to this deal was a no-show at its own celebration. When CNBC reached out for comment, ByteDance and the Chinese Embassy in Singapore went radio silent.
The deal itself reads like a creative workaround designed more for headlines than Beijing's approval. According to Trump's executive order, TikTok's US operations would split into two separate companies. A new joint venture would handle the core US business - data, algorithm, the works - while ByteDance would keep less than 20% ownership. A second US company would manage e-commerce and international partnerships, according to reports from Chinese outlet LastPost.
Trump's claiming this satisfies the Supreme Court-backed law requiring ByteDance to divest or face a ban. But legal experts aren't buying it. JP Morgan's James Sullivan told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" that the deal lacks clarity on algorithm control, leaving "national security concerns wide open."
The timing couldn't be more precarious for TikTok. A recent Pew Research survey shows one in five American adults now get their news from the platform - up from just 3% in 2020. That's precisely the kind of influence lawmakers fear Beijing could weaponize.
