TikTok deal ‘likely to slip past US election’ as Donald Trump battles coronavirus
- Chinese owner ByteDance working to resolve security concerns, but approval process may drag on past November polls
- Fate of TikTok Global now lower priority for president, as re-election bid, Supreme Court fight and his Covid-19 diagnosis take spotlight

ByteDance is working with US regulators to resolve outstanding security concerns over its planned sale of a stake in video-sharing app TikTok, and the companies involved are bracing for the approval process to drag on past the November election, according to people familiar with the matter.
Oracle, which is leading the bid to buy a stake in TikTok, is also still hashing out the fine-print terms of the deal, which two weeks ago received an endorsement “in concept” from US President Donald Trump but faces scepticism from others within his administration and from the Chinese government.
ByteDance is in discussions on a final proposal with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, or CFIUS, the regulatory body that must clear any agreement. Several issues remain unresolved, including questions about data security, Chinese ownership in the new TikTok Global and a possible US$5 billion education fund.
Trump has said that if a deal is not done before November 12, TikTok will be shut down in the US, but it’s possible that deadline could be changed if negotiations are still going on into next month, people familiar said.

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US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump test positive for Covid-19
The process is going slowly in part because of the volume of details that need to be ironed out, said some of the people, who asked not to be identified discussing the private negotiations.
What’s more, the fate of TikTok Global has slipped lower on the list of priorities for the president, who is seeking to win approval for a new Supreme Court justice and focused on his campaign for re-election, some of the people said. The process is now even more complicated after the president’s diagnosis with Covid-19, which was disclosed early Friday.
