US and China reach deal to transfer TikTok ownership, trade officials say
Jamieson Greer, a US trade representative, said on Monday that Washington and Beijing have struck a framework agreement on transferring TikTok to US-controlled ownership,Speaking after emerging from negotiations with Chinese officials, Scott Bessent said the deal was coming but declined to reveal the commercial terms,“We have a framework for a TikTok deal,” the treasury secretary told reporters after coming out of high-level talks in Madrid,“We’re not going to talk about the commercial terms of the deal,It’s between two private parties, but the commercial terms have been agreed upon.
” Bessent added that the Chinese team had made “aggressive asks” during negotiations, but did not explain what they were.Li Chenggang, the top Chinese trade negotiator, confirmed later on Monday that two sides had reached a basic framework consensus on resolving issues related to TikTok through cooperation, reducing investment barriers and promoting trade.Li said friction between the two economic giants was normal, but warned Washington against continued “suppression” of Chinese companies.“We would like to stress that the outcomes of the trade and economic consultations are hard won, and the US side should not, on the one hand, ask China to accommodate its concerns, whilst at the same time continue to suppress Chinese companies,” Li said in Madrid.The framework agreement is a breakthrough in the long-running dispute over TikTok’s ownership, which has raised national security concerns in Washington over the app’s Chinese parent company ByteDance.
In April 2024, Joe Biden signed legislation that gave ByteDance nine months to sell the platform to a US-approved buyer or face a total ban – a deadline that Donald Trump has repeatedly extended,The US is estimated to have over 135 million active users on the platform, including the White House, which launched its own official account in August, despite the fact that government devices themselves are still prohibited from using the app under federal law,TikTok briefly went dark in January when the ban took effect, displaying messages that the app was unavailable under US law,Trump reversed the shutdown within hours of taking office, signing an executive order to delay enforcement for 75 days before extending the deadline again and again,Apple and Google had removed TikTok from their app stores during the brief blackout but restored access after government assurances they would face no penalties.
Washington’s security concerns center on fears that Beijing could manipulate the massively popular platform to spy on Americans or influence public opinion.Christopher Wray, the former FBI director, warned senators that China’s national security laws could compel ByteDance to hand over user data or suppress content, and the Department of Justice last year said TikTok had gathered the sensitive data of American users based off gun control, abortion and religion through its use of Lark, a workplace communication platform similar to Slack or Microsoft Teams, according to court documents.Security experts have long pointed to three main areas of concern: Chinese influence campaigns, mass data collection on US citizens, and potential vulnerabilities that could compromise users’ devices.The TikTok ownership saga stretches back to 2020, when Trump first ordered ByteDance to divest TikTok or face a shutdown.Microsoft initially pursued a potential acquisition worth billions of dollars, with CEO Satya Nadella engaging directly with Trump, but it fell apart in what Nadella dubbed at the time “the strangest deal” he has ever worked on.
Soon after, Walmart and Oracle came close to buying TikTok’s US arm, proposing a joint acquisition of a new entity called TikTok Global, but it was shelved indefinitely after the Biden administration conducted its own review of Chinese tech companies.Oracle has remained TikTok’s US cloud provider since 2022 in a deal aimed at addressing security concerns.Bessent said final details would be settled when Trump speaks with Xi Jinping, China’s president, on Friday.Trump hinted that the deal was in the making while all sides were still at the table, posting on Truth Social that “A deal was also reached on a ‘certain’ company that young people in our Country very much want to save.They will be very happy!”Greer confirmed that the agreement was now awaiting approval from both leaders.
“We’re not going to be in the business of having repetitive extensions,” Greer said.“We have a deal.”
Berthoumieu banned for biting Wafer in blow to France before England clash
The France flanker Axelle Berthoumieu has been banned for biting the Ireland back-row Aoife Wafer in their Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter‑final and the flanker will miss the semi‑final against England on Saturday.Manaé Feleu, the France captain, will also miss the England clash as she has been banned for a high tackle in the Ireland game. Both players are appealing against the sanctions.The pair were cited on Sunday evening and faced disciplinary panels on Monday. Berthoumieu was handed a 12-match ban which was reduced from 18, while Feleu was given a three-match suspension which could be reduced to two if she completes the coaching intervention programme
Cycling teams could boycott races involving Israel-Premier Tech after Vuelta chaos
World Tour cycling teams may refuse to race against Israel-Premier Tech following the multiple protests during the Vuelta a España that exploded into street violence in central Madrid on Sunday.Sources within rival teams have expressed their dismay to the Guardian at the refusal of the team to withdraw from the Vuelta and the lack of protection from the International Cycling Union (UCI) for its own commercial and sporting interests.Michal Kwiatkowski of Ineos Grenadiers was among those to publicly criticise the UCI for its lack of action during the Vuelta. The former world road race champion posted on social media: “If the UCI and the responsible bodies couldn’t make the right decisions early enough, then long‑term it’s very bad for cycling that the protesters managed to get what they wanted.“From now on, it’s clear that a cycling race can be used as an effective stage for protests and next time it will only get worse, because someone allowed it to happen and looked the other way
Kurtis Marschall shines light on pole vault camaraderie in epic Tokyo final
Armand Duplantis’s world record rightfully stole the spotlight, but the true nature of pole vaulting revealed itself in a brief moment from Monday’s epic men’s final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.Kurtis Marschall was moments away from his second world championship medal, and Australia’s first in Tokyo. It was 10.09pm, and his final rival for bronze stood at the top of the runway. American Sam Kendricks – then in fourth behind the Australian – had his pole over his shoulder eyeing a clearance that would slide Marschall off the podium
Football agent Kia Joorabchian’s big racing spend needs to start paying off
The first of the four weekends that will decide the champions of the 2025 Flat season in the northern hemisphere passed in a blur of Classic and Group One action at Doncaster, Leopardstown and the Curragh, and while Aidan O’Brien, as ever, emerged with a lion’s share of the spoils, there were also hints that he will not have things all his own way as the cavalcade moves on towards Paris, Ascot and finally the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar in California.It was encouraging too – since variety, after all, is the spice – that it was not the usual suspects from Godolphin and Juddmonte that were giving Ballydoyle the most to do.Karl Burke and Eve Johnson Houghton were the only British-based trainers to saddle a winner at the two-day Irish Champions Weekend meeting at Leopardstown and the Curragh, and both returned home with a Group One success – just the second of her career in the case of Johnson Houghton, who took the National Stakes with Zavateri. Burke, meanwhile, sent out a treble from just seven runners over the two afternoons, highlighted by Fallen Angel’s victory in the Group One Matron Stakes on Saturday.And there was a confidence-boosting Group One winner too for Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing operation, to kick off a vital period for the owner after a substantial eight-figure investment in both bloodstock and property ahead of the 2025 campaign
‘A nobody who became really good’: Gout Gout takes his bow on the world stage
The Australian sprint sensation charms international media ahead of his senior competition debut on WednesdayThe subways and shopping malls in Tokyo were busy on Monday for the national public holiday to celebrate “respect for the aged day”. Four storeys up, inside Adidas’ hospitality fortress a walk from Japan’s National Stadium, the sentiment was different. Here, a room filled with international press bowed at the altar of athletics’ new prodigy.Gout Gout, the 17-year-old Australian who will compete in the 200m at the World Athletics Championships on Wednesday, is faster than Usain Bolt was at the same age. His spectacular performances and gleaming grin have swamped social media
AFL finals: where the Geelong v Hawthorn preliminary final will be won and lost | Martin Pegan
The Geelong and Hawthorn rivalry will be reignited when the heavyweight duo meet in a final for the first time in nine years on Friday with a spot in the 2025 AFL decider up for grabs. The Cats have recent history on their side with six wins in their past seven matches against the Hawks, though the balance has been tipped the other way when the clubs have met in cut-throat finals over more than five decades.The Hawks have knocked out the Cats in all four finals clashes since 1963 when there is no second chance for the loser. That streak most memorably includes the Hawks’ premiership triumphs in the all-time classic 1989 grand final and the 2008 upset-for-the-ages, both at the Cats’ expense.Geelong have gone a long way to easing the pain of those defeats as they have become one of the powerhouses of the AFL
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