Topline
Officials in Beijing once again criticized U.S. efforts to target TikTok on Monday, claiming Washington has yet to give evidence showing the app presents a national security threat, as lawmakers signaled their intent to push forward with legislation to ban the app days after CEO Shou Zi Chew’s Congressional testimony.
Chinese officials have criticized efforts by U.S. lawmakers to ban TikTok.
Key Facts
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the U.S. was targeting TikTok based on a “presumption of guilt” and has presented no evidence of the app being a threat to national security, Reuters reported.
The foreign ministry official then called on the U.S. to “respect fair competition” and “stop suppressing foreign companies,” the report added.
The statement from Beijing comes hours after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) tweeted that the chamber will move forward with legislation to “protect Americans from the technological tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party.”
Last week, China’s foreign ministry said Beijing has “never asked and will never ask” private companies to share data on foreign individuals or entities “through means that are in violation of local laws.”
Chief Critic
After Chew’s testimony in Congress last week, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) told ABC News on Sunday: “I think this actually increased the likelihood that Congress will take some action.” Gallagher, the chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, added that TikTok’s so-called Project Texas proposal does not include any measure to address control of its algorithm. “It’s not just exfiltrating data from an American phone. It’s what they are able to push to Americans through the algorithm, control our sense of reality, control the news and meddle in future elections.”
Key Background
In his testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee last Thursday, Chew defended TikTok and insisted that the platform does not allow foreign entities to access U.S. user data. When asked about an October 2022 Forbes report about ByteDance planning to monitor specific Americans using location data collected from TikTok, Chew said “spying” was not the right way to describe this. Chew’s statement that he had seen “no evidence” of Chinese government officials accessing U.S. user data was also met with immediate pushback from lawmakers. TikTok said in a statement after Chew’s testimony the hearing was “dominated by political grandstanding that failed to acknowledge real solutions.” In a tweet, TikTok COO Vanessa Pappas said the hearing “felt rooted in xenophobia.”
What To Watch For
Bipartisan lawmakers led by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) are attempting to move forward with legislation known as the RESTRICT Act, which would empower the president to ban apps like TikTok if they are deemed a threat to national security. Aside from expressing support for the legislation, the Biden administration has also reportedly rejected TikTok’s proposal to build a firewall between U.S. user data and its Chinese parent company ByteDance, known as Project Texas. Administration officials are instead trying to force TikTok to divest its U.S. business, something China says it strongly opposes.
Further Reading
China says U.S. presumption of guilt against TikTok is baseless (Reuters)
Congress closer to a TikTok ban or forced sale after CEO’s concerning testimony, Gallagher says (ABC News)
TikTok CEO Spars With Congress Amid Growing Calls For Ban—As Lawmaker Calls Privacy Claims ‘Preposterous’ (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/03/27/china-says-us-should-stop-suppressing-foreign-companies-as-mccarthy-vows-progress-on-tiktok-ban/