State media blasts ‘anti-China show’ as American lawmakers seek to force sale of TikTok
- Global Times, a tabloid affiliated with the People’s Daily, on Thursday described the move as ‘another show of anti-China forces in the US Congress’
- After the House vote, TikTok repeated a statement saying that the proposals would ‘strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression’
Chinese state media has voiced support for TikTok, the hit short video platform owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, as the company faces pressure to sell the business in the US after a committee in the House of Representatives unanimously approved two bills targeting the app over security concerns.
The first proposal, if enacted, would grant ByteDance 180 days to divest TikTok or face a ban in app stores and US-based web-hosting services. The second bill would prevent data brokers from transferring sensitive data on American users to foreign governments.
ByteDance has remained silent on the issue, leaving TikTok to defend itself, but state media has taken the opportunity to speak out against the US action.
Global Times, a tabloid affiliated with the People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of China’s ruling Communist Party, on Thursday described the move as “another show of anti-China forces in the US Congress”.
Gao Lingyun, a researcher at the state-run Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was quoted as saying that it was “an unreasonable move by US lawmakers to gain attention and political reputation”. Zhou Mi, a researcher affiliated with the Ministry of Commerce, was also quoted as saying that new bills “would have a very negative impact on the investment environment in the US”.
