US Issues Stern Warning to China: Comply or Complete Blockage
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia –The United States (US) government has issued a serious threat to China regarding the fate of TikTok in the United States. US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick bluntly stated that TikTok must cease operating in the US if China does not agree to a deal to sell the app owned by Chinese giant ByteDance to a US entity.
Speaking with CNBC International, Lutnick emphasized that the US must have full control over TikTok’s algorithm in the US.
Last month, US President Donald Trump again extended the deadline for enforcing the law against TikTok by 90 days to September 17, 2025. This is the third time Trump has delayed the implementation of the law for the platform, which has 170 million users in the US.
This third delay indicates that no agreement has been reached between the US and China regarding the fate of TikTok. Negotiations between the two countries became heated when Trump suddenly launched a high-stakes tariff war against China.
For information, under regulations signed by the Joe Biden administration, ByteDance is required to divest its TikTok operations in the US. Otherwise, the US will permanently block TikTok.
The rule was created based on concerns from US officials that ByteDance could potentially hand over TikTok user data in the US to the Chinese government. To safeguard national security, the US wants TikTok in its country to be separated from China and controlled by a US entity.
“China could own a small portion of [TikTok], or ByteDance, the current owner, could take a small portion. But, essentially, an American entity would have control. America would own the technology and control the algorithm,” Lutnick asserted, as quoted by Reuters, Friday (July 25, 2025).
“If China approves this deal, it will go ahead. If they don’t approve it, TikTok will be blocked. That decision will come soon,” Lutnick added.
TikTok did not immediately comment on the latest threat from the Trump administration.
A deal was in the works late last year that would separate TikTok’s US operations into a new US-based company, majority owned and operated by US investors.
The deal stalled after China indicated it would not agree to it following Trump’s announcement of high tariffs on Chinese goods.
SOURCE : CNBC INDONESIA
