A woman uses her phone as she passes by the ByteDance headquarters in Beijing, China, on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. The Chinese government is complicating the U.S.-government-ordered sale of U.S. TikTok assets. China on Friday, Aug. 28, 2020 introduced export restrictions on artificial intelligence technology, seemingly including the type that TikTok uses to choose which videos to spool up to its users. That means TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, would have to obtain a license to export any restricted technologies to a foreign company. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
By Tali Arbel and Zen Soo
The Chinese government is complicating the U.S.-government-ordered sale of U.S. TikTok assets.
China on Friday introduced export restrictions on artificial intelligence technology, seemingly including the type that TikTok uses to choose which videos to spool up to its users. That means TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, would have to obtain a license to export any restricted technologies to a foreign company.
The Trump administration has threatened to ban TikTok by mid-September and ordered ByteDance to sell its U.S. business, claiming national-security risks due to that Chinese ownership. The government worries about user data being funneled to Chinese authorities. TikTok denies it is a national-security risk and is suing to stop the administration from the threatened ban.
Prospective buyers for U.S. TikTok assets include Microsoft and Walmart and, reportedly, Oracle. Oracle has declined to comment.
On Saturday, Chinese state-owned media outlet Xinhua News Agency quoted government trade adviser and professor Cui Fan, who said that Bytedance should consider whether it should halt negotiations to sell TikTok in the U.S.
"As with any cross-border transaction, we will follow the applicable laws, which in this case include those of the U.S. and China," said ByteDance General Counsel Erich Andersen.
The Chinese government's new restrictions may be a "tactic to drive up valuation" of TikTok, said RBC Capital Markets analyst Alex Zukin, who still expects a deal announcement "relatively soon." The Wall Street Journal reported last week that ByteDance is asking for $30 billion for the U.S. operations, but has faced resistance from bidders. The Journal said in a Sunday story that deal talks had "slowed."
Microsoft and Walmart declined to comment on Monday.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, during a White House briefing, did not directly answer whether the administration would accept a sale of U.S. assets of TikTok if the deal were subject to Chinese government approval. "Negotiations are ongoing on a sale of TikTok so we are not going to get in the way of those negotiations," she said.
—
Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report from Washington.
Cheddar News senior reporter, Michelle Castillo joined Scott Keogh, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, for a ride in the new ID.Buzz electric van at South by Southwest. Keogh touched on issues from the auto giant's commitment to electrification and achieving carbon neutrality to the need for more charging infrastructure to support the electric vehicle wave. "We made a commitment to be CO2 neutral, and I think the reason it is, simplistically is, we're the world's largest car company. We're responsible for 1 percent of global CO2 emissions, and frankly, leaders have to lead and so that's what we want to do," he said.
Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code and author of "Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work (and Why It's Different Than You Think), joined Cheddar to discuss the many challenges for women in the workplace after the upheaval caused by the pandemic and the solutions she presents.
Companies are leaning towards hybrid workforces due to the pandemic as a means of bringing back workers to the office — especially women employees. Head of HR technology at Capital One, Maureen Jules-Perez, joined Cheddar News to talk about initiatives and technology that the bank is taking to set up a successful hybrid workplace. "Do we have the experiences or the spaces for everyone to feel belonging or included? Do we feel heard? And of course, when it comes to building products, we have all the different, diverse perspectives and thoughts and ideas being incorporated to have the optimal solution or delivery," she said.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Monday laid out a proposal that would require businesses to disclose the emissions they produce. Kathleen Rogers, CEO & President at EARTHDAY.ORG, joined Cheddar News to break down the implications of this historic step.
Electric car manufacturer Tesla opened its first European factory on the outskirts of Berlin in an effort to challenge German automakers on their home turf.
Reshma Saujani, the founder of the nonprofit Girls Who Code, discusses the workplace inequities further exposed by the pandemic and her latest book, "Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work (and Why It's Different Than You Think).
