TikTok has called a report that China is considering allowing Elon Musk to sell the social media company’s US operations “pure fiction”.
The firm’s comments came in response to a Bloomberg report that said Chinese officials were considering an option to sell its U.S. business to the world’s richest man if the U.S. Supreme The court upholds the ban on the app.
Supreme Court justices are set to rule on a law that sets a January 19 deadline for TikTok to either sell its US operations or face a ban in the country.
TikTok has repeatedly said it will not sell its US operations.
“We cannot be expected to comment on pure fiction,” a TikTok spokesperson told BBC News.
Chinese officials are considering a possible scenario in which Musk’s X social media platform would take control of TikTok’s US operations, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Musk is a close associate of US President-elect Donald Trump, who is scheduled to return to the White House on January 20.
Last month, Trump urged the Supreme Court to delay its decision until he could find a “political solution” to take office.
His lawyer filed a legal brief in court saying that Trump “opposes a ban on TikTok” and “explores the ability to resolve issues through political means when he takes office.” .
It came a week after Trump met with Tik Tik’s chief executive, Xu Ziqiu, at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
The Biden administration has argued that without the sale, TikTok could be used by China as a tool for espionage and political manipulation.
The company has repeatedly denied influence by the Chinese Communist Party and said the law to ban it in the United States violates its customers’ First Amendment free speech rights.