President Trump put on Wednesday the possibility of relaxing upcoming invoices in China in return for supporting the country in an agreement on the sale of Tiktok to a new owner supported by the United States.
Recognizing that Beijing “should play a role” in any transaction, Mr Trump marked reporters in the White House that it could be open to negotiation. “Maybe I’ll give them a slight reduction in invoices or something to complete it,” he said.
According to a law adopted before Mr Trump’s duties, the Chinese parent company of Tiktok must either sell US social media enterprises or deal with what is essentially equivalent to a domestic ban. Legislators adopted this policy in response to development, diplomatic concerns that the implementation was threatened by US national security, which Tiktok is denied.
Congress initially set January deadline for its ultimatum. But there was no sale, causing Mr Trump – as one of his first executive actions – to delay law enforcement for 75 days in the hope of securing a buyer.
The new deadline arrives on April 5, just three days after Mr Trump to plan separately to announce what he described as “mutual” invoices, imposing new duties on foreign nations based on commercial barriers erecting US imports. The president has already submitted Chinese goods to a 20 %invoice, in addition to those established during his first term.
“Every point of invoices is worth more than Tiktok,” Trump said of the prospects of a negotiation, adding: “It sounds like something I would do.”
Mr Trump said on Wednesday that he could issue another order to grant the government extra time to find a buyer for Tiktok, stressing that the goal is a result “this is better for our country”. The president increased the likelihood that the US government could have a share of the implementation.
“If it’s not over, it’s not a big deal. We’ll expand it,” Mr Trump said.
Chinese officials, for their part, argue that any sale or divestment must comply with local export laws, possibly giving Beijing power to any mediation carried out by Mr Trump.
