China says US TikTok ban ‘an act of bullying’ that would backfire
CNN
China has described a potential TikTok ban as “an act of bullying” that would backfire on America.
China has described a potential TikTok ban as “an act of bullying” that would backfire on America. The comments, made by China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday, came hours before a House of Representatives vote on legislation that would force TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance to sell the popular short video app to an American company — or face being barred in the US, where it boasts over 170 million users. “Even though the US has not found evidence on how TikTok endangers its national security, it has never stopped going after TikTok,” Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the ministry, told CNN Wednesday at a news conference in Beijing. Wang accused the US of “resorting to acts of bullying” when it could not succeed in fair competition, saying such practice would disrupt market operations, undermine investor confidence and sabotage the global economic order. “This will eventually backfire on the US itself,” he said. US officials and lawmakers have long voiced concerns that the Chinese government could compel TikTok’s parent ByteDance to hand over data collected from US users. They also fear that the app could serve as a tool for Beijing to spread propaganda, misinformation or influence Americans.
