Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Chinese officials are in discussions to potentially involve Elon Musk in a deal over the US operations of TikTok, days before the Chinese-owned social media app faces a ban from Washington, according to two people familiar with the discussions.TikTok is set to be shut down in the US next Sunday under a bill passed by Congress back in April, requiring its Beijing-based parent ByteDance to sell its stake in the app or face a ban because of security concerns.According to the people familiar with official discussions, the plans may not be as straightforward as seeking to sell TikTok to Musk, the billionaire owner of social media app X and close confidant of US president-elect Donald Trump. However, they hope Musk could help broker a solution that might prevent the platform from being forced to shut down. The discussions are “very preliminary and mostly brainstorming” at this stage, according to one of them. ByteDance and TikTok teams are still focused on winning the legal battle with the US government, the people added. Bloomberg reported earlier on Tuesday that Chinese officials were weighing a sale of TikTok to Musk. In response, TikTok said: “We can’t be expected to comment on pure fiction.”The divest-or-ban law on TikTok comes into force on Sunday, the day before Trump is inaugurated. The US Supreme Court has indicated it is likely to let the legislation stand. Both Trump and Musk have previously suggested that TikTok should be saved in the US.Musk enjoys a good relationship with Chinese officials, putting him in an influential position to arbitrate deals such as the TikTok divestment. The Tesla chief has regularly done business in China for several years across his business empire, with regular interactions with government officials from various levels.Last April, the billionaire flew to Beijing and met Li Qiang, President Xi Jinping’s number two, which experts say was a sign of Beijing’s approval of Musk and his technology plans.Moreover, Musk has a strong economic interest in keeping a friendly relationship with China, as Tesla’s share of Chinese EV sales has dropped significantly over the past year. Tesla debuted a major model update of its Model Y in China earlier this month for the first time. Musk also owns artificial intelligence start up x.AI, whose technology is being trained on X user posts and would gain from access to vast troves of TikTok data. TikTok has exploded in popularity among teens and now counts 170mn US users. It has been in the crosshairs of Washington officials due to concerns that the app could be wielded by Beijing for espionage purposes or to spread propaganda.During hearings at the US Supreme Court last week, TikTok denied the accusations and claimed the law violated First Amendment protections for free speech. Trump has promised to “save the app”, and implored the court to delay the legislative deadline to allow for “the opportunity to pursue a political resolution of the questions at issue in the case” when he returns to the White House later this month. Musk posted on X in April: “In my opinion, TikTok should not be banned in the USA, even though such a ban may benefit the X platform,” he wrote on X. “Doing so would be contrary to freedom of speech and expression. It is not what America stands for.”TikTok has argued a spin-off would be technically “unfeasible” before the deadline. Beijing, which would have a say on any divestment, according to China’s export laws, has also said it opposes a sale and has branded the law a “blatant act of commercial robbery”. Noel Francisco of Jones Day, a lawyer for TikTok, said on Friday that a divestiture would be “exceedingly difficult under any timeframe”. Asked what would happen on January 19 if the company loses this case, he replied: “As I understand it, we go dark.”Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Financial Times. The Cyberspace Administration of China and China’s Ministry of Commerce did not respond to calls made outside business hours.Additional reporting from Hannah Murphy in San Francisco and Stefania Palma in Washington DC
