- China opposes US TikTok bill
- Bill demands ByteDance divestiture
- Bipartisan House support, Senate uncertain
It has been alleged that China is “unjustly” behaving as a “bandit” in its opposition to a measure in Congress that could ultimately lead to the ban of TikTok in the United States.
The House of Representatives-passed bill would require TikTok’s parent company to divest from the company within six months or risk having the application banned.
Although the Senate still opposes it, President Joe Biden has pledged to approve it if Congress agrees to its terms.
“Necessary measures” have been pledged by Beijing in order to safeguard its interests.
The Chinese corporation ByteDance, headquartered in Beijing and registered in the Cayman Islands, owns TikTok.
The app has engendered apprehension among US legislators, who contend that the potential acquisition of American data by China constitutes a threat to national security. The proprietors of TikTok have refuted those allegations.
Wednesday marked an uncommon display of bipartisanship in the House of Representatives, as it overwhelmingly approved the bill by a vote of 352 in favor and 65 against the proposed law.
Thursday, at a news conference in Beijing, Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the bill’s vote violates the principles of equitable competition and justice.
Mr Wang added that it is the epitome of banditry for an individual to discern a valuable item possessed by another and attempt to appropriate it for one’s use.
He Yadong, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, added that the country would “take every reasonable action to protect its legitimate rights and interests.”
In the interim, former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced on Thursday that he was assembling an investment group with the intention of acquiring TikTok. “The company is phenomenal,” he stated to CNBC.
The opportunity for him to do so will be contingent on the bill’s passage through Congress; however, its level of support in the Senate remains to be determined.
Prior to this, Republican Donald Trump supported a ban; he has since changed his mind and expressed opposition.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew stated, following the bill’s House passage, that “billions of dollars would be taken out of the pockets of creators and small businesses.”
“In addition, it will jeopardize over 300,000 American jobs and eliminate your TikTok,” Mr. Chew stated in a video that was shared on TikTok and X, formerly Twitter.
Several “creators” of TikTok expressed concern on Wednesday that the measure could jeopardize their livelihoods and businesses if enacted.
“I purchase products from small businesses and feature them on my platform; I improve them,” said Alabama-based creator Ophelia Nichols, who has amassed over 12 million followers on the platform. “It’s the small businesses that will suffer…you have to worry about that.”
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Mr. Chew of TikTok also exhorted the platform’s users to voice their opposition to the vote and contact their representatives—an endeavour that has already resulted in the inundation of the offices of certain members of Congress with calls from angry constituents.
The methodology in question has provoked discontent among legislators in the United States. Chip Roy, a Texan and co-sponsor of the measure, stated that he believes the lobbying effort “shot itself in the foot” for TikTok.
That, he said, “demonstrates that they want to use the power of their technology to persuade and inform people through their perspective.” The effort amounted to the propaganda aspect that TikTok is exhibiting.
China prohibits TikTok in addition to other social media platforms.
Instead, Chinese users utilize Douyin, a comparable application that is restricted to the country and is censored and monitored by the government.
