TikTok Shop offline activity in Jakarta / Photo credit: TikTok

On Tuesday, Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Trade Jerry Sambuaga said that TikTok is in the process of obtaining an ecommerce permit from the government, state media Antara reported.

But Zulkifli Hasan, Indonesia’s minister of trade and Sambuaga’s direct superior, has denied that claim. Tech in Asia asked Hasan through text message to confirm whether TikTok is applying for such a license or creating a new entity for its ecommerce business.