China’s new tech export rules pose further threat to TikTok’s survival in the US
- The video-sharing app’s parent company ByteDance could be affected by new regulations that require government approval for technology exports
- Donald Trump has given the company until September 15 to sell or cease its American operations
TikTok’s race to keep its operations going in the United States may face a further political hurdle after China imposed new restrictions on technology exports.
The popular video-sharing app has been scrambling to reach a deal with an American buyer after Donald Trump ordered it to stop or sell its operations in the US.
But the new rules, which will require government approval for the export of certain technologies, are likely to affect its Chinese parent company ByteDance.
“ByteDance has a number of cutting-edge technologies in artificial intelligence and other fields, and some technologies may be covered by the adjusted list,” Cui Fan, a professor of international trade at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, told state news agency Xinhua on Saturday.
On Friday China’s Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology updated the list of technology exports that are banned or restricted for the first time since 2008.
Two articles are likely to affect ByteDance directly: Article 18, which covers some forms of artificial intelligence such as voice recognition, and Article 21, covering data analytics and content recommendation.