• by Colin Kirkland , Yesterday

The Chinese government’s cooperation in a U.S.-led TikTok selloff deal is looking even less probable than before.

Days after the White House launched an official account on TikTok, China’s state-affiliated news outlet China Daily published an article scrutinizing the Trump administration’s choice to utilize the ByteDance-owned social media platform despite calling it a national security threat. 

On Monday, the White House created its own TikTok account with a post from President Trump announcing: “America we are BACK! What’s up TikTok?”

The post, which also features Trump declaring that he is the nation’s “voice,” could insinuate the near closing of a deal, as the Senate-approved TikTok selloff bill took effect over 200 days ago and the next deadline is set for September 17.

But after three legally dubious executive order extensions issued by Trump, China’s cooperation now seems more unlikely than ever. 

“That the White House now has its own TikTok account undoubtedly contradicts the ‘national security threat’ rhetoric that claims ByteDance is beholden to the Chinese government and that the app could be used to influence US citizens,” China Daily published Wednesday, likely highlighting the viewpoint of the Chinese Communist Party (CPP).  

“That the White House launched its own account on the app less than one month before the third extended deadline expires only serves to expose the hypocrisy of the US side's alleged ‘security’ charges against TikTok,” the news outlet continued. 

Mimicking what the CPP has said in the past, China Daily wrote that Chinese authorities will not reverse the nationwide policy “explicitly prohibiting the export of core technologies such as short video algorithms,” which draws “a red line for the TikTok transaction.”

In other words, TikTok’s value is embodied by the platform’s recommendations algorithm, which China is unwilling to sell. 

China Daily’s piece follows U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s recent statement that the app will disappear for American users if China does not approve a deal. 

“If they don’t approve it, then TikTok is going to go dark,” Lutnick said. “And those decisions are coming very soon, so let’s see what the Chinese do. They’ve got to approve it. The deal is over to them right now.”