The Chinese government said this Wednesday that the “crackdown” against TikTok’s use of short videos in the US is an attempt at intimidation that will ultimately “backfire.”
The response from Chinese authorities comes as the House of Representatives debates a bill that would force Chinese company ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, to shut down the app within 180 days. Otherwise, the “app” would be banned in the US, where it is said to have around 150 million monthly active users.
Banning the app “would undermine the confidence of international investors (…), which would ultimately cause the United States to shoot itself in the foot,” Chinese diplomat spokesman Wang Wenbin warned, condemning TikTok’s “bullying.”
At the press conference, the spokesman accused the US of using intimidation tactics instead of “fair competition” and “never finding evidence that TikTok threatens their national security.”
Wang said the U.S. behavior “disturbs normal business activities, undermines international investors’ confidence in the investment environment, and destroys the international economic and trade order.”
The Chinese government used TikTok accounts to harm Democratic and Republican candidates during the 2022 elections, in which Democrats performed better than expected, retaining the Senate and losing the House, according to a report from the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence. several places.
The report also warns that Beijing could try to influence the November election, which will pit Democratic President Joe Biden again against former Republican President Donald Trump (2017-2021).
Some critics have accused Bytedance of having ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), although TikTok denies such accusations, saying it does not censor content or give the Chinese government access to its data.
Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi criticized the US for continuing “tactics of repression against China” despite weakening relations between the two powers in recent months.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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