Explainer: Next steps in the TikTok diplomatic dance

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he does not plan to extend a deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. business, with the process still mired in uncertainty.

Trump has repeatedly said the deadline for the sale of the short video app is Sept. 15, although that was not the date stipulated in either of the two executive orders his administration issued in August.

The first order, banning U.S. companies from transacting with the Chinese company or its subsidiaries, gave a Sept. 20 deadline. The second, with a deadline of Nov. 12, demands that Bytedance sell TikTok due to national security concerns.

Microsoft Corp and Oracle Corp are among the suitors for TikTok’s U.S. assets. Operations in Canada, New Zealand and Australia are also part of the deal.