US President Donald Trump has officially extended the deadline for the TikTok social media app to remain available in the United States until December 16, allowing time for the completion of a framework deal announced on Monday following talks between US and Chinese government officials, the Associated Press reports.

The executive order signed by Trump on Tuesday was the fourth time he had bypassed federal law to extend the deadline for China-linked TikTok to sell its assets to an American company or face a ban. 

Congress originally set a deadline of January 19 this year, one day before Trump was sworn in for his second term. On Tuesday, Trump was asked about the framework deal he announced the day before and reiterated that he would discuss TikTok with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday. He said there are companies interested in buying the social media app owned by ByteDance and that details about potential buyers would be announced soon.

 The framework was developed following a meeting in Madrid that ended on Monday between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, and other officials. Bessent told reporters that the goal was to transfer TikTok's assets to US ownership for its operations in America, although he declined to discuss the details of the mechanism.

China's International Trade Representative Li Chengang told reporters that the parties had reached a “basic framework consensus” to jointly resolve issues related to TikTok, reduce investment barriers, and promote relevant economic and trade cooperation.

The US president has been warm to TikTok and the prospect of keeping it, believing it will help him win over younger voters in the 2024 presidential election. However, the law mandating its sale in the US was passed in light of the potential security risks the app poses when collecting data.