For the Chinese authorities, selling TikTok to Elon Musk might mean handing the platform over to an ally whose business empire is heavily dependent on the Chinese market, while also being someone whose opinions are given significant weight by future U.

EXCLUSIVE: Rumours Elon Musk could buy TikTok or broker a deal have swirled in recent days in a move that could transform the video-sharing platform and make both parties even more powerful, an expert has said.

After years of rejecting the idea of a sale of TikTok’s US assets to an American buyer in order to avert a ban, China and ByteDance may have found an owner they could live with: Elon Musk.