Chinese state media hit out at US over TikTok ‘sell-or-ban’ bill as owner ByteDance remains silent
- CGTN, the English-language channel of state-run CCTV, said the legislation to divest TikTok over security concerns was a sign of the US falling into ‘Sinophobia’
- China Daily said the bill would deal a heavy blow to Sino-US relations, endorsing a comment by Tesla CEO Elon Musk saying it was ‘contrary to freedom of speech’
Chinese state media outlets have spoken out against a new bill passed by the US House of Representatives that would force a divestment of TikTok, while the app’s parent company ByteDance and the Chinese government have remained silent.
The latest developments have increased the odds of a forced sale of TikTok, even though the company has told US employees it will fight the law in court.
TikTok “will move to the courts for a legal challenge” when the bill is signed, said Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s head of policy in the Americas, in an internal memo on Saturday seen by the South China Morning Post.
The Chinese response has been relatively measured. ByteDance did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Monday.
The Post reported earlier that Beijing-based ByteDance decided to delegate the political lobbying and legal battle to the TikTok team under its Singaporean CEO Chew Shou Zi.
In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, TikTok reiterated its opposition to the House vote, criticising lawmakers for “using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance” to push forward what would effectively be a ban that would “trample the free speech rights” of its 170 million American users and 7 million businesses.