Trump says tariff cut would have sealed TikTok deal in 15 minutes, China reacts

US President Donald Trump said China would have approved the sale of video-sharing app TikTok in 15 minutes if the US slashed tariffs, which the Asian giant labelled "protectionist bullying". Trump said China's change in stance came after the US imposed a steep 34% reciprocal tariff on all Chinese imports last week.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said, "We had a deal pretty much for TikTok - not a deal but pretty close - and then China changed the deal because of tariffs."

"If I gave a little cut in tariffs they would have approved that deal in 15 minutes, which shows the power of tariffs," he said.

TikTok, which has more than 170 million American users, is facing a potential shutdown after a law passed in the US last year mandated its split from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.

Last week, Trump extended the deadline for TikTok to find a non-Chinese buyer by another 75 days.

Trump's plan involves a deal to spin off TikTok's US operations into a separate American-owned entity, with ByteDance retaining a minority stake, according to Reuters.

CHINA REACTS

However, Trump's announcement of reciprocal tariffs on China, followed by two rounds of 10% tariffs each already declared in February and March, has put the deal on the back burner.

China has retaliated by imposing a reciprocal 34% tariff on all imports from the US from April 10, fuelling concerns of a full-blown trade war.

According to news agency AP, ByteDance has informed the White House that China would not approve the agreement unless trade and tariff negotiations were addressed.

China has warned that "threats and pressure" were not the right way to deal with Beijing. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said tariffs imposed by the US in the name of reciprocity only "serve its own interest at the expense of other countries".

"The tariffs are typical unilateral and protectionist bullying," spokesperson Lin Jian said in a press conference.