China’s Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng said that the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau has received an application from Tiktok parent company Bytedance to export certain technology, local newspaper National Business Daily reported (in Chinese).
The company is close to a deal with Oracle and Walmart to set up a new company to operate Tiktok in the US after US President Donald Trump ordered Bytedance divest the video-sharing app. It needs Beijing’s permission to confirm the deal.
In August, China’s Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Technology added 23 items to a list of “prohibited or restricted export technologies.” They include two types of technology that are used in Tiktok.
Bytedance said Monday that neither the algorithm nor the company’s technology will be transferred in the deal but Oracle would have the permission to review its code.