The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden recently told TikTok that it wanted the app¡¯s Chinese owners to sell the app or face a possible ban in the United States. But that plan hit a roadblock Thursday, when Beijing said it would oppose a sale.

The announcement scrambled the debate over the future of the app, leaving the White House with few if any clear options.

Biden¡¯s narrow menu now includes trying to ban the app ¡ª the other side of the administration¡¯s threat. But that would be very difficult without congressional help. Or, experts said, he could try to push a sale anyway, through a government body that vets foreign companies, essentially daring Beijing to make good on its opposition.