Why China may be OK with TikTok selling to Elon Musk

After years of rejecting the idea of a sale of TikTok’s US assets to an American buyer in order to avert a ban, China and ByteDance may have found an owner they could live with: Elon Musk.

After previously opposing the idea of a TikTok sale to avert a looming ban, the Chinese government may have found an owner it could live with: Elon Musk. Chinese officials – who are expected to have some say over whether and how TikTok’s US assets could be sold to an American buyer – are discussing a possible option that involves selling at least a portion of the US version of the app to Musk’s X, according to reports from Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal. CNN has not independently confirmed the discussions. The discussions would mark a stark reversal in China’s stance on a TikTok sale just days before the law that could ban the app in the United States is set to go into effect. To avoid a ban, the law would permit TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to sell to a US-based owner. The reports come after the Supreme Court last week indicated that it would uphold the law over national security concerns, despite TikTok’s argument that it represents an illegal crackdown on free speech. China’s commerce ministry previously said it would “firmly oppose” a forced sale of TikTok, although other would-be buyers put up their hands. TikTok parent company ByteDance has also previously indicated that the app is not for sale. ByteDance and Musk did not respond to requests for comment about the reports. And TikTok batted them down; spokesperson Michael Hughes told CNN that “we can’t be expected to comment on pure fiction.” Still, there are logical reasons why Musk, ByteDance and China might all find it in their best interests to facilitate a sale of TikTok’s assets to the X owner.