When negotiators from the United States and the Chinese mainland met in Madrid, one unlikely star rose to the top of the agenda: TikTok. While tariffs, export restrictions and strategic competition remain big-ticket items, many of the easier trade issues were already set aside—leaving TikTok as a test case for deeper engagement.
For the Trump administration, the video-sharing app has taken on outsized symbolic weight. By linking progress on TikTok to President Trump’s October trip to Asia, Washington signaled that a deal could pave the way for broader dialogue. In response, Beijing turned its attention from technical fixes to using TikTok as a bargaining chip with wider implications.
Despite its focus on one platform, the timing of the talks was no accident. U.S. inflation worries and a dip in job creation have left markets hungry for any sign of cooperation between the two largest economies. Sure enough, U.S. stock indices climbed after news of the Madrid session.
Behind the scenes, negotiators also juggled practical constraints. With Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent set to join a state visit in London, both sides accelerated the Madrid round to beat the week’s looming TikTok enforcement deadline—already postponed three times and likely to face a fourth delay.
Beyond headlines, the Madrid talks achieved key wins: they built on recent exchanges between defense and foreign ministers and cleared some hurdles ahead of a planned summit between the two presidents. More importantly, they tested a step-by-step framework: senior officials set the stage, technical teams hammer out details, and leaders give final sign-off.
Looking ahead, negotiators are eyeing rare earth minerals and high-tech magnets—critical inputs for clean energy and electronics. For the Chinese mainland, these resources are strategic leverage. Any U.S. offer here would probably require concessions on semiconductors, a politically sensitive sector in Washington as elections approach.
In many ways, TikTok is more than an app trapped between superpowers. It’s a proxy for the broader tech rivalry, trade tensions and security concerns that define China-U.S. relations. Madrid may have moved the needle, but the journey toward substantive agreements will depend on both sides’ political will and their ability to balance domestic pressures with global responsibilities.
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What TikTok reveals about the next phase of China-U.S. negotiations
cgtn.com
