The future of TikTok in the United States remains in the hands of Chinese officials, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said.
During a CNBC interview on July 24, Lutnick said if China does not approve a U.S.-drafted deal to sell the American assets of TikTok, then the app will go dark in America again, as it briefly did in January.
"If that deal gets approved by the Chinese, then that deal will happen. If they don't approve it, then TikTok is going to go dark," Lutnick said. "And those decisions are coming very soon, so let's see what the Chinese do. They've got to approve it. The deal is over to them right now."
When asked if the potential agreement is a part of current trade talks with China, Lutnick said it was being discussed, but "not officially."
"You can't really go meet somebody and not bring up the topics that are open," Lutnick said during the interview. "It's not officially a part of it, but unofficially, of course, it's going to be discussed.
Neither TikTok nor the White House immediately responded for comment when contacted by USA TODAY on July 24.
TikTok: Trump signs executive order delaying ban on TikTok - again
When could TikTok go dark in the US?
The next deadline for TikTok to be sold from ByteDance is Sept. 17. Trump signed an executive order, the third of its kind, to extend the deadline in June.
Why could TikTok get banned?
TikTok's future in the United States has been up in the air for months. In January, the platform went dark for less than 24 hours under federal legislation signed into law by former President Joe Biden.
For years, some government officials have been concerned that TikTok is a national security threat, believing that ByteDance, which is based in Beijing, is sharing U.S. user data with China. TikTok has repeatedly denied these claims.
Three times now, Trump has signed executive orders that push back the deadline for when TikTok must be sold, promising that deals with China are on the horizon. The latest was in early July, when Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he was hopeful Chinese President Xi would agree to a deal to see the platform to the U.S.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: TikTok ban: App goes dark if China doesn't agree to US deal - Lutnick
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