TikTok building US version of app ahead of sale talks

TikTok is building a new version of its app for users in the United States called “M2” before a scheduled sale to a group of investors, according to information reported on Sunday, July 6.

This came after US President Donald Trump said on Friday, July 4, that he plans to speak with China on Monday or Tuesday this week about a potential TikTok agreement.

He mentioned that the United States almost agreed to sell the TikTok short-video app. 

TikTok suspended its deal with the US amid Trump’s tariff policies imposed on China

Earlier this year, an agreement was made that involved the creation of a new company in the US to handle TikTok’s operations in America. Moreover, American investors would be the majority owners and have access to the short video app. 

According to reports from reliable sources, TikTok formulated a strategy to introduce the new app to the United States app stores as early as September 5.

This followed Trump’s extension of the sales of the US operations of TikTok last month until a deadline of September 17 for China’s ByteDance.

TikTok users will eventually need to download the new app to continue using the service, though the current app will be functional until March of next year. The report added that this timeline could shift.

This new app has piqued the interest of the searchers. Some are curious about whether their followers and posts will transfer over immediately or later or if they should start from scratch once they get to the new accounts. Others ask why it is called “M2” along with other questions.

As for the TikTok deal, Trump said he anticipates “starting a dialogue” with China on Monday or Tuesday, perhaps with President Xi or a representative. They were very close to a deal, he said.

However, TikTok suspended this deal after China said it would not finalize the agreement in light of Trump’s declaration of heavy tariffs on Chinese goods.

In response, Trump mentioned that the United States would likely need to get a deal approved by China. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

When asked about his confidence in China’s willingness to agree, Trump responded that he was not completely sure, but anticipated they would. Based on his argument, President Xi and he have a strong relationship; therefore, he believed this deal would benefit both countries.

Trump relaxed export controls on China, creating room for a bigger deal 

Time has expired for some of the United States’ trading partners seeking to strike deals before President Trump’s July 9 deadline for tariffs to return to the higher levels originally suggested.

Trump said that letters will start going out to countries to inform them of the tariff rates they will encounter when exporting to the US, which will take force on August 1. Others of like character will succeed in the first 10 or 12 letters sent.

Following the deadline, Trump mentioned they will have complete coverage by the ninth. He further stated that the tariffs will vary, some around 60% or 70%, while others at 10% or 20%.

In the meantime, the Trump team has concentrated on securing trade deals, though it has been able to nail only three deals so far.

Scott Bessent, a United States Secretary of the Treasury, indicated that about 100 partners are on the hook for a minimum “reciprocal rate” of 10% as soon as this week and has said he is expecting a “flurry” of deals to get done between now and the deadline.

For China’s case, the United States has relaxed export controls on China for chip design software and ethane, further indicating that trade tensions are easing between the two countries after they reached an agreement in May on a plan to work towards a bigger deal. This 

Restrictions had been put in place only weeks ago. As a result of the relaxed export controls in China, software companies like Synopsys and Cadence said they would resume selling their tools for designing chips to Chinese customers. 

This positive outlook signals that Trump might strike a deal with China concerning the sales of TikTok’s US operations.

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