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The U.S. and China have not agreed on much lately, but they may be on the verge of a deal to keep TikTok from going dark in America. Chinese and U.S. officials say they've agreed on a framework for dealing with the issue of who owns the app. And President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to talk all about it on Friday. NPR's John Ruwitch explains what's on the line.
JOHN RUWITCH, BYLINE: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke to reporters after two days of talks with Chinese officials in Spain.
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SCOTT BESSENT: The framework is for it to switch to U.S.-controlled ownership. But again, I'm not going to get ahead of the leaders' call on Friday. We have a framework. They'll have to confirm the deal.
RUWITCH: If they can, it could mean the end of the long-running saga over the fate of the hugely popular short video app. Ryan Calo, a professor at the University of Washington Law School, says it could mean something else, too.
RYAN CALO: I think if TikTok is allowed to stay, and Americans can keep using TikTok, I think that's a victory for free speech.
RUWITCH: A law passed last year with bipartisan support ordered TikTok to be banned in the United States if its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, doesn't give up control. Congress saw the platform as a national security threat, potentially giving Beijing access to reams of data on Americans and a way to influence them. The law took effect in January, but President Trump has issued executive orders three times to delay its enforcement. That's kept TikTok alive, but Calo says crossed a legal line, undermining the rule of law and putting the U.S. companies that do business with TikTok at risk for violating the congressional ban.
CALO: Those alarm bells are not going to be unrung, but I do think that if you're using TikTok, or you're supporting it or doing a deal with it, or you work there, then you're going to breathe a sigh of relief after this deal is announced.
RUWITCH: Depending on the details, lawmakers and security analysts may also breathe a sigh of relief.
John Ruwitch, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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