TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has expressed gratitude to President Donald TRUMP for his efforts to explore solutions that would allow the app to continue to be available in the United States. Chew acknowledged Trump’s commitment to address concerns related to TikTok’s operations as a looming deadline comes near. On social media platform X, Chew thanked President Trump for working to find a solution that will grant permission to TikTok to continue its operations in the US.
The company is facing a critical deadline of Sunday, January 19, and has been asked to cut ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or stop its US operations entirely. The decision has been taken given national security concerns over TikTok’s data norms. On the same day, the US Supreme Court upheld a proposed ban on the app and the White House informed that it is unlikely that President-elect Joe Biden will intervene before the deadline.
President Trump commented on Friday that the future of TikTok lies ultimately in his hands. However, he did not share any specific details on the potential actions he will take. As per the latest report, Trump is planning an executive order to delay enforcement of the law under which Tik Tok has to disinvest or shut down, potentially the deadline will be extended from 60 days to 90 days.
Trump also disclosed that he had a word on it among other topics with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a telephone conversation on Friday. The conversation has dealt with the broader geopolitical tensions associated with the app’s presence in the US.
Meanwhile, Chew is also planning to attend the US presidential inauguration on January 20 as one of the high-profile guests invited by President Trump. His presence will also highlight the importance of TikTok’s fate amid ongoing negotiations and legal battles.
(With inputs from Reuters)