Apple Says It Has No Interest in Buying TikTok

Apple has no interest in acquiring TikTok, the company said on Tuesday, denying a report by news website Axios from earlier in the day.

Axios, citing sources outside of Apple, earlier reported the iPhone maker has expressed interest in buying the ByteDance-owned firm.

Microsoft is currently negotiating a deal to acquire the popular short-video app, with a 45-day deadline imposed by President Donald Trump's administration.

Last week, Trump said he was planning to ban TikTok amid concerns its Chinese ownership represents a national security risk because of the personal data it handles.

Separately, White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday that the United States will take action in coming days on the popular short-video app TikTok and other Chinese apps, but gave no other details.

"He and Secretary (of State) Pompeo have said the US will take action in coming days on Chinese apps including TikTok due to the national security risk," she said.

© Thomson Reuters 2020