San Francisco: "Microsoft is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States," the tech giant said in a blog post late on Monday.
The official confirmation came after reports surfaced that Microsoft has halted its bid to buy the US operations of China-based TikTok after President Donald Trump vowed to ban the short-video making app that has over 80 million monthly users in the country.
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, a sale was thought close to agreement "but was put in doubt after the US president's warning".
During this process, Microsoft looks forward to continuing dialogue with the US government, including with the President.
The discussions with ByteDance will build upon a notification made by Microsoft and ByteDance to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).
Microsoft said it may invite other American investors to participate on a minority basis in this purchase.
Microsoft said it would ensure that all private data of TikTok's American users are transferred to and remains in the US.
"To the extent that any such data is currently stored or backed-up outside the United States, Microsoft would ensure that this data is deleted from servers outside the country after it is transferred," it said.
Trump said last week that he will ban the popular Chinese-owned video app TikTok from operating in the country through an executive order.
Last week, TikTok unveiled a plan to offer creators $2 billion globally in the next three years.
TikTok has denied any Chinese control over its operations.
The move to ban TikTok comes at a time of heightened tensions between the Trump administration and the Chinese government over a number of issues, including trade disputes and Beijing's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
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(Inputs from IANS)
