Trump announces agreement to keep TikTok operating in the US.

WashingtonDonald Trump has announced that an agreement has been reached with China so that TikTok can continue operating in the United States, following the conversations this weekend in Madrid with the Chinese delegation. "The major trade meeting in Europe between the US and China went very well!" the president wrote, adding that he would speak "with President Xi [Jinping] on Friday." "An agreement has been reached on certain "A company that the young people of our country wanted to save," he said, referring to TikTok, as Wednesday marked the legal deadline for Chinese subsidiary ByteDance to sell it or it would have to cease operations in the US. Beijing has yet to confirm the deal, and in fact the Chinese delegation has left the headquarters of the Foreign Ministry. keeps very close!" Trump added, referring to Xi. The statement contrasts with the post from early September, when the US president had a fit of anger upon seeing the Chinese leader accompanied by Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong-un during the celebrated military parade in Beijing. Trump then accused them of conspiring against him: "Give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un as they plot against the United States."

Shortly afterwards, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed from the Spanish capital that both negotiating parties had agreed on a "framework" for TikTok's disassociation from ByteDance. Bessent explained that it would be an agreement between "two private parties" and that it would transfer the social application to US ownership. The president's economic right-hand man did not want to give more details of the understanding, which should be sealed on Friday during the conversation between Xi and Trump.

Previously, Bessent and Jamieson Greer, the US Trade Representative who was also present at the talks, had explained that China wants concessions on trade and technology in exchange for agreeing to divest from TikTok. "Our Chinese counterparts have come in with a very aggressive demand," Bessent said, adding: "We are not willing to sacrifice national security for a social media app."

While the future of TikTok was still being negotiated, the White House opened an official account on the social network a few weeks ago. The platform was key to Trump's strong showing among young people in the last election.

Upon returning to the presidency, Trump already granted an extension to the TikTok ban, which had been postponed four times. The ban was approved by Congress during the final days of Joe Biden's presidency after certifying its ties to the Chinese Communist Party. The day before Trump's inauguration, the US Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the law requiring the platform to separate from its Chinese parent company should be enforced.

The announcement of the agreement coincides with the renewed escalation of tensions with China, after Beijing concluded on Monday that the US company Nvidia – the world's largest chipmaker – had violated its antitrust laws. Despite Trump's claim to maintain a "close relationship" with China, the backdrop is very different. After the tariff war between the two giants escalated to exorbitant levels—Washington taxed Beijing at 145%, while Beijing responded with 125%—and sent shockwaves through the global economy, the two countries reached a trade truce. Trump extended the pause for another 90 days, until October.

For now, tariffs on Chinese goods are at 30%, a figure agreed upon during the initial negotiations in Switzerland in the spring. This is the sum of the 10% base rate of the US's universal tariffs and 20% as punishment for fentanyl trafficking. In addition, tariffs on specific products, such as the 50% on steel imports, remain in place.