China’s government on Monday sidestepped a question on US President Donald Trump’s recent claim that he “pretty much” has a deal with Beijing to bring TikTok into American ownership and that talks with China over the popular short-video app could begin early this week.

Is TikTok a national security threat or not? The effort to sell off the app's US assets continues to drag amid multiple legally dubious extensions from Trump.

A deal to spin off TikTok's U.S. operations into a U.S.-based firm was paused after China responded to Trump's announcements of tariffs on China. Trump's comments could add clarity to the future of the app in the United States.