By João da Silva, business reporter, BBC News
Photo: CFOTO / NurPhoto via AFP
TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance says it has no intention of selling the business after the United States passed a law to force it to sell the hugely popular video app or be banned in America.
"ByteDance doesn't have any plans to sell TikTok," the company posted on its official account on Toutiao, a social media platform it owns.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the BBC.
Earlier this week, TikTok said it would challenge in court the "unconstitutional" law.
The statement from ByteDance came after media reports that it was exploring options to sell TikTok without the algorithm that powers it.
"Foreign media reports of ByteDance selling TikTok are not true," the company said.
The sell-or-ban measure was signed into law by US President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
It was introduced due to concerns that TikTok might share user data with the Chinese government - claims it has always denied.
However, TikTok is not facing an immediate ban in the US.
The new law gives ByteDance nine months to sell the business, and an additional three-month grace period, before a potential ban can be enforced.
That means the sale deadline would most likely come sometime in 2025, after the winner of the 2024 presidential election takes office.
- BBC
