China, US must discuss national security issues, industry leader says amid reports of TikTok inquiry
- Legitimate concerns need to be addressed to create ‘as much space for doing businesses as possible’, chairman of American Chamber of Commerce in China says
- Appeal comes as US reviews Beijing ByteDance Technology’s US$1 billion purchase of American social media app in 2017
“Each government has some legitimate national security concerns,” Tim Stratford, the chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, said in an interview in Beijing.
“We in the business community hope these issues can be resolved in a way that protects both countries’ national security but gives us as much space for doing business as possible.”
Although negotiators from the two countries were working to find a resolution to the trade war, the issue of national security had not been addressed, Stratford said.
“I think each side is still trying to figure out what they want and what is the right way to approach it,” he said.
“But until those discussions take place, the business community remains concerned” that Beijing or Washington might impose restrictions that will affect companies’ operations.
Those concerns came to the fore on Friday when it was reported that the US government had opened a national security review into the purchase of Musical.ly by Beijing ByteDance Technology, which owns the popular TikTok short-form video app.