Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson He Yadong at a regular press conference Photo: Yin Yeping/GT

Asked what China has gained from the framework consensus reached between China and the US to allow TikTok to continue operations in the US, and whether the US has promised to remove tariffs in exchange for this, He Yadong, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce, said on Thursday that during the talks in Madrid, Spain, the two sides reached a basic framework consensus on properly resolving these related issues through cooperation, reducing investment barriers, and promoting relevant economic and trade cooperation.

"China's position on this issue is consistent. We oppose the politicization, instrumentalization and weaponization of science, technology and economic and trade issues, and will never seek to reach any agreement at the expense of our principled stance, corporate interests and international fairness and justice," He Yadong said.

At the same time, the Chinese government fully respects the wishes of enterprises and supports them in conducting equal commercial negotiations based on market principles, and will review and approve matters related to technology exports, intellectual property rights authorization, and other issues in accordance with the law, the spokesperson noted.

"We also hope that the US side can provide an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies, including TikTokthis one, to continue operating in the US in accordance with the consensus reached by both sides, so as to promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-US economic and trade relations," He Yadong said. 

China and the US reached a basic framework consensus on resolving issues related to TikTok through cooperation, which embodies a highly significant meaning for both sides, Li Yong, a senior research fellow at the China Association of International Trade, told Global Times on Thursday.

However, reaching an agreement on TikTok requires joint efforts from both sides, said Li, noting that while the Chinese side pledged to review TikTok-related matters in accordance with the law, the US side must also play its part by, in line with the mutual understanding reached, providing an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies, including TikTok, operating in the US.

Moreover, the TikTok case could serve as a reminder for other businesses when planning future investments in the US market. Li said that when Chinese companies examine the TikTok case, they will assess whether the US market is genuinely open, fair, and just in terms of investment and business operations before making the next move.

At a previous press conference held by the Chinese side after the trade talks in Madrid, Spain, on Monday, Wang Jingtao, deputy director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, said both sides reached a basic consensus regarding the full respect for the will of the business as well as the law of the market on resolving the TikTok issue through such methods as the entrusted operation of TikTok's US user data and content security business, and the license for use of the algorithm and other intellectual property rights, the Xinhua News Agency reported.