--- description: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said a deal had been reached with China on TikTok that would pave the way for a switch to U.S. ownership. title: TikTok Ban Averted as U.S. and China Reach ‘Framework’ Deal image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta05ca80d670cd11d/6998c91766d4e35d28cbcbdd/tiktok-app.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # TikTok Ban Averted as U.S. and China Reach ‘Framework’ of a Deal  by [Rebecca Schneid](/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Sep 15, 2025 1:35 PM CUT  BEIJING, CHINA - APRIL 05: In this photo illustration, the logo of TikTok is displayed on a smartphone screen with a US national flag in the background on April 5, 2025 in Beijing, China. U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media on April 4 that he would grant ByteDance an additional 75-day extension to either sell the popular video-sharing app TikTok to a non-Chinese company or risk being banned in the United States. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images) BEIJING, CHINA - APRIL 05: In this photo illustration, the logo of TikTok is displayed on a smartphone screen with a US national flag in the background on April 5, 2025 in Beijing, China. U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media on April 4 that he would grant ByteDance an additional 75-day extension to either sell the popular video-sharing app TikTok to a non-Chinese company or risk being banned in the United States. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)VCG—Getty Images  by [Rebecca Schneid](/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Sep 15, 2025 1:35 PM CUT The Trump Administration said it had reached a “framework” deal with China on Monday to transfer the popular [social media app TikTok](https://time.com/7208185/how-tiktoks-most-followed-us-influencers-reacted-to-the-app-going-dark-amid-ban/ "undefined") to an American owner, just days before it was set to be blocked for an estimated 135 million users in the United States. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters following two days of trade talks with China in Madrid that a [tentative deal had been agreed](https://time.com/7209861/who-will-buy-tiktok-meet-contenders-mrbeast-elon-musk-billionaires/ "undefined"), and that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping would speak on Friday to “complete” the deal. "The framework is for a switch to a U.S.-controlled ownership," Bessent said, adding that the agreement is "between two private parties" and that "the commercial terms have been agreed upon." **Read More:** [_The Grim Reality of Banning TikTok_](https://time.com/6952889/tiktok-ban-freedom-of-speech-essay/ "undefined") Trump had indicated that a deal had been reached in a post on social media shortly before Bessant’s announcement. “The big Trade Meeting in Europe between The United States of America, and China, has gone VERY WELL!” Trump [posted on Truth Social](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115208260926006345 "undefined"). “A deal was also reached on a 'certain' company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save.” TikTok’s legal presence in the United States has been in question since a 2024 law introduced with bipartisan support and signed by former President Joe Biden introduced a ban on the app unless the company’s Chinese owner ByteDance sold to a U.S. buyer. Lawmakers cited national security and data privacy concerns. The law was [upheld by the Supreme Court](https://time.com/7205609/supreme-court-tiktok-arguments-ban/ "undefined") in January. The law led to TikTok going [dark](https://time.com/7208185/how-tiktoks-most-followed-us-influencers-reacted-to-the-app-going-dark-amid-ban/ "undefined") in the United States on the evening of Jan. 18, and disappearing from U.S. app stores—only for the video app to come back online hours later after Trump [announced](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113855616848696050 "undefined") he extended the deadline for ByteDance to sell. Trump has since extended this deadline several more times, and the most recent deadline was Sept. 17. Trump has [argued](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114280893859636366 "undefined") that his term-defining reciprocal tariff policy has been an important bargaining tool in working on a deal with China. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Monday that the deadline could be extended to finalize the framework deal. Trump’s recent role as championing TikTok comes as a sharp turn from his first term in office, when Trump moved to ban the app himself. In August, the [White House launched](https://time.com/7310894/white-house-tiktok-trump-app-ban-sale-china/ "undefined") its own TikTok account, a signal that Trump was working on completing a deal and was confident in the longevity of the app. Since Trump extended the deadline, there has been speculation over who could[ buy the app ](https://time.com/7209861/who-will-buy-tiktok-meet-contenders-mrbeast-elon-musk-billionaires/ "undefined")from ByteDance. Among the names floated as potential buyers are Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon, _Shark Tank_’s Kevin O’Leary, Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, and influencer [Mr. Beast.](https://time.com/collection/time100-leadership-series/6693255/mrbeast-interview/ "undefined") "We have a lot of potential buyers," Trump told reporters on Air Force One on March 30\. "I'd like to see TikTok remain alive." The deal comes after the U.S. and China have spent the weekend in trade talks in Spain, days after Trump took to TruthSocial [to demand that ](https://time.com/7317021/trump-sanctions-russia-ukraine-oil/ "undefined")U.S. allies place tariffs on China for its purchase of Russian oil. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7317261/tiktok-ban-deal-update-china-us/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7317261/tiktok-ban-deal-update-china-us/"},"headline":"TikTok Ban Averted as U.S. and China Reach ‘Framework’ of a Deal","datePublished":"2025-09-15T13:35:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:53:38.349Z","description":"Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said a deal had been reached with China on TikTok that would pave the way for a switch to US ownership.","url":"https://time.com/7317261/tiktok-ban-deal-update-china-us/","keywords":["Tech","Youth","Donald Trump","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta05ca80d670cd11d/6998c91766d4e35d28cbcbdd/tiktok-app.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rebecca Schneid","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta05ca80d670cd11d/6998c91766d4e35d28cbcbdd/tiktok-app.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Trump Extends Tiktok Ban Deadline For Another 75 Days","caption":"TikTok logo displayed on phone in front of backdrop of U.S. flag","creditText":"VCG—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7317261/tiktok-ban-deal-update-china-us/","name":"TikTok Ban Averted as U.S. and China Reach ‘Framework’ of a Deal"}}]}] ```