Trump Likely To Slash China Tariffs To Seal TikTok Deal—Will Beijing Play Ball?

 US President Donald Trump has indicated he may consider reducing tariffs on China to help finalize the sale of popular short-video app TikTok. The app, currently owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, faces a looming deadline to find a non-Chinese buyer in order to continue operating in the United States.

Deadline Extension on the Table

Trump also suggested he is open to extending the existing April 5 deadline for securing a buyer. This deadline stems from a 2024 law enacted under the Biden administration, which ordered TikTok to be either sold or banned due to national security concerns.

“With respect to TikTok, and China is going to have to play a role in that, possibly in the form of an approval, maybe, and I think they’ll do that,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday. “Maybe I’ll give them a little reduction in tariffs or something to get it done.”

The president expressed confidence that at least the framework of a deal could be in place by the deadline.

China’s Approval Remains a Key Challenge in Finalizing The TikTok Sale

Beijing’s approval has long been a significant hurdle in finalizing TikTok’s sale, given the app’s immense valuation—estimated in the tens of billions of dollars. Trump has previously attempted to use tariffs as leverage in negotiations with China, a strategy he appears to be employing again.

On his first day back in office on January 20, Trump warned of additional import duties on Chinese goods if Beijing did not approve a TikTok sale.

Trump’s Own TikTok Presence

Despite having previously pushed for TikTok to be banned during his first term, Trump now has a presence on the platform. His account boasts more than 15 million followers, and he has claimed that content from his presidential campaign received billions of views on the app.

Meanwhile, tensions between the U.S. and China continue to escalate on the trade front. Earlier this month, the U.S. doubled tariffs on all Chinese imports, raising levies to 20%—a move that built on the initial tariff hike Trump implemented on February 4.

China retaliated on February 10 by imposing new tariffs of 10-15% on various U.S. agricultural products. Beijing further targeted key American industries, including aviation, defense, and technology, by adding multiple U.S. firms to its “unreliable entity list” and enforcing export restrictions.

China’s 10% levy was further raised to 20% on March 4, escalating the ongoing trade dispute.

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