China and the US have reached an agreement, bringing an end to a six-year dispute. As soon as this news came out, Trump could not stay calm and made a rare high-profile post to thank China. It's true that this time, China might have done a big favor for Trump.

TikTok

Recently, TikTok officially announced that China and the US have formally reached an agreement, establishing a new American version of TikTok. This six-year dispute between China and the US has finally come to an end. As soon as the news broke, Trump took to social media to make a high-profile post, rarely expressing gratitude to China, saying that China chose to accommodate the US when it could have made things difficult, and he was very "grateful."

According to the agreement, the US will establish a "TikTok U.S. Data Security Joint Venture Limited Company." Leading U.S. and global investors such as Oracle and Silver Lake will hold about 80% of the company's shares, while ByteDance, the Chinese parent company, will retain about 20% of the shares. The main task of this company is to ensure user data is stored within the United States, guaranteeing so-called "national security."

From the perspective of international political dynamics, this agreement is the result of "practical compromise" between China and the US, not a one-sided concession. For China, the agreement preserved the core interests of Chinese enterprises, avoiding the complete separation and sale of its U.S. business. More importantly, the algorithm, which is the soul of the application, was not forcibly "handed over" or "seized," but entered the new company through "intellectual property usage rights licensing."

China-US Agreement

For the U.S., it achieved the goals of "data sovereignty" and "operational control." By transferring majority equity and operational control to entities recognized by the U.S., it protected the significant economic benefits brought by TikTok, while removing TikTok from the political definition of "applications controlled by foreign adversaries," thus defusing the narrative of "national security threats."

In short, both sides temporarily set aside their deep-seated differences in areas like technological hegemony, ideological infiltration, and extraterritorial jurisdiction, each gaining what they wanted. Trump's excitement stems from the fact that the agreement was reached at this critical moment, and China indeed did him a big favor.

Shouzi Zhou, CEO of TikTok

As is well known, during the 2024 presidential election campaign, Trump registered a TikTok account, and in just half a year, he accumulated 14.7 million followers. He actively approached young voters on the platform, discussing issues like prices and employment that they care about, even directly addressing "Americans who want to save TikTok should vote for me."

It has proven that this helped him win a lot of young votes, and he himself had promised to ensure that TikTok continues to operate normally in the U.S. Now, the agreement between China and the U.S. not only allows Trump to fulfill his political promise but also effectively preserves his "base" for attracting young voters.

Trump and His Supporters

With midterm elections approaching, the agreement between China and the U.S. has given Trump a new achievement. However, we must remain clear-headed: the agreement does not mean that the contradictions between China and the U.S. have been completely resolved, nor does it mean that TikTok's future is now safe. The specific details of the agreement still need further negotiation, and whether the U.S. will truly fulfill the consensus remains unknown.

Additionally, there are still many politicians in Congress who oppose keeping TikTok. Although Trump currently supports TikTok, his attitude has always been centered around his own political interests. In the future, if the election situation changes or his political needs change, he may adjust his stance towards TikTok again. There is no doubt that Trump's gratitude, although unexpected, is actually a necessary choice.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/7598471169796358696/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.