<img src='https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-09-16/What-TikTok-reveals-about-the-next-phase-of-China-U-S-negotiations-1GIc9ecJtzW/img/e854e8baef6644f7aa80345c61d44939/e854e8baef6644f7aa80345c61d44939.jpeg' alt='The TikTok logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen, September 15, 2025. /VCG'
Editor’s Note: Sun Taiyi is an associate professor of political science at Christopher Newport University in the United States. He is also the executive editor of the Global Forum of Chinese Political Scientists’ main publication, Global China. The article reflects the author’s opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.
The most recent round of talks between China and the United States, held in Madrid, placed TikTok at the center of the discussions. This was not because TikTok is the most pressing or consequential issue in bilateral relations, but rather because many of the easier areas of consensus had already been resolved in earlier rounds.
The more intractable disputes – such as significant reductions in tariffs and non-tariff trade barriers, restrictions on exports of key products and resources, and broader questions of strategic competition – remain far from agreement. As a result, TikTok emerged as one of the few remaining areas where both sides could realistically explore progress.
For the Trump administration, the TikTok question has taken on symbolic importance. Officials have treated it as a litmus test of Beijing’s willingness to engage seriously in the next stage of negotiations. The White House even linked potential progress on this front to President Trump’s upcoming trip to Asia in October, thereby raising the political stakes. As a result, Beijing decided to pay closer attention to the issue, viewing it not merely as a technical matter of a single company’s operations, but as a bargaining chip with larger implications. The negotiators have sought to identify a solution that could satisfy both sides without appearing to compromise on core interests.
Although TikTok was the subject at the negotiating table, its significance extends beyond the platform itself. Trump had already taken the unusual step of openly defying congressional legislation on TikTok by delaying the implementation of relevant requirements, postponing enforcement deadlines three times. The latest deadline falls on Wednesday of this week, and it is entirely possible that it could be postponed a fourth time.
The timing of renewed talks is no accident. Recent U.S. economic data have revealed worrying signs of weakness: inflationary pressures are rising, while job creation in the labor market has consistently fallen short of expectations. In this environment, the Trump administration is eager for a confidence boost. Any signal that the world’s two largest economies are finding common ground is a welcome stimulus for markets. Unsurprisingly, U.S. stock indices climbed even higher after news of the Madrid talks, reflecting renewed investor optimism.
The scheduling of the talks also reflected practical considerations. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is accompanying President Trump on a state visit to the United Kingdom on Wednesday. With the enforcement deadline for TikTok looming, it would have been impossible to hold last-minute discussions with Chinese counterparts. By bringing the Madrid negotiations forward by several days, both sides sought to create momentum before the deadline passed.
Despite focusing on a single platform, the Madrid round yielded important achievements. First, it followed closely after exchanges between the two countries’ defense and foreign ministers, signaling that the economic dialogue is part of a broader, coordinated effort to stabilize bilateral relations. Second, the talks helped pave the way for an upcoming summit between the two heads of state, removing at least some obstacles to higher-level engagement.
Equally important, the process itself offered a model for how future negotiations might be structured. In this framework, senior officials meet initially to frame the discussion, technical teams follow up with detailed bargaining, and final confirmation comes through a phone call or face-to-face meeting between the two leaders. This step-by-step mechanism suits the political institutions and practical realities of both countries. It has also emerged gradually through earlier rounds of negotiation, providing a workable template that can be applied to more complex issues.
Yet while the mechanism is encouraging, it does not make the substantive issues any easier. Looking ahead, Washington has indicated its desire to focus the next round on rare earth minerals and magnets – materials critical to high-tech industries and clean energy transitions. For Beijing, such resources represent strategic leverage. Any significant concessions on this front are unlikely unless the United States is prepared to offer reciprocal compromises in sensitive sectors such as semiconductors. Whether Washington is ready – or politically able – to make such trade-offs remains uncertain. Domestic political battles could severely constrain U.S. flexibility, particularly with elections approaching and bipartisan hawkishness toward China running strong.
Thus, the Madrid talks illustrate both progress and limitations. On the one hand, they showed that even amid strained relations, the two powers can still identify specific issues where cooperation is possible and where symbolic breakthroughs can send positive signals to markets and publics alike. On the other hand, they remind us that the fundamental challenges in the relationship – technology rivalry, trade imbalances, security concerns and competing visions of global order – remain unresolved.
In that sense, TikTok is more than an app caught between two superpowers. It is a proxy for larger strategic dynamics, a bargaining chip in negotiations that will shape the trajectory of Sino-U.S. relations for years to come. Whether future talks can move beyond symbolic gestures to substantive agreements will depend on both countries’ political will and their ability to balance domestic pressures with international responsibilities. For now, Madrid marks one step forward in a long and uncertain journey.
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