US Commerce Secretary Lutnick stated on the 24th that if China does not approve the sale of the short video app TikTok, TikTok will have to stop operating in the United States.
In an interview with CNBC, he said that the US must control the algorithm that supports TikTok's operation.
He said: "China can take a small portion, or the current owner ByteDance can also retain a small portion, but basically, control will be in the hands of Americans. Americans will own this technology, and Americans will also control the algorithm."
He stated: "If this deal is approved by China, then the deal will go through. If they do not approve, TikTok will be banned, and these decisions will be made very soon."
Last month, US President Trump extended the deadline for Chinese company ByteDance to divest TikTok's US assets by 90 days, to September 17. TikTok has about 170 million users in the US.