China urges Trump to "provide a fair business environment" after his claim of '50% TikTok stake'

"Opposing Actions That Harm Legitimate Interests"
"Communicating With the U.S. Regarding the Phase One Trade Agreement"

On the 23rd, the Chinese government expressed opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that he must acquire 50% of the shares of TikTok, a Chinese short video platform, as a condition for allowing its operation in the United States.

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He Yadong, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, stated at a regular briefing that "China consistently respects and protects the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises and opposes actions that violate the basic principles of the market economy and harm the legitimate interests of enterprises." He added, "We hope the U.S. side will listen more to the voices of enterprises and citizens and provide a fair business environment for companies from all countries, including Chinese capital enterprises."

Earlier, on the 21st (local time), President Trump said regarding the TikTok sale plan, "We are thinking about saying that if someone buys TikTok and gives half of the shares to the U.S., we will grant them the business license."

Regarding President Trump's directive to review the implementation of the U.S.-China Phase One trade agreement, he said, "The essence of Sino-U.S. economic and trade relations is mutual benefit and win-win," and "We are continuously communicating with relevant U.S. departments." He added, "Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China hopes that both sides will strengthen dialogue and communication based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and cooperative win-win, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and promote the stable and healthy development of Sino-U.S. economic and trade relations."

On the 20th, President Trump had issued a directive to evaluate the implementation status of the Phase One trade agreement signed between the U.S. and China in 2020 and to recommend appropriate measures such as imposing tariffs. According to the Phase One trade agreement signed in January 2020, China promised to increase purchases of U.S. goods and services by $200 billion (approximately 288 trillion won) over two years compared to 2017 levels. The agreement also included specific measures China must implement, such as strengthening intellectual property protection, curbing practices supporting overseas investment for foreign technology acquisition, refraining from currency devaluation, and improving exchange rate transparency.

Regarding President Trump's statement that he may impose an additional 10% tariff on China starting next month, spokesperson He warned, "Tariff measures are disadvantageous to both China and the U.S. and will have negative effects on the entire world."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.