US’ TikTok ban has ‘no fairness to speak of,’ alleges China’s foreign ministry
Criticising the United States over its recent bill seeking to compel TikTok to dis-invest or face an outright ban, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry on Thursday (Mar 14) said there was “no fairness to speak of” in citing national security as the reason.
Unfair practice
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, “The US House of Representatives passing this bill lets the United States stand on the opposite side of the principles of fair competition and international trade rules.”
Over 300,000 American jobs at risk: TikTok CEO asks users to oppose bill aiming to ban app
“If so-called national security reasons can be used to wilfully suppress other countries’ superior companies, there would be no fairness to speak of,” he alleged.
US TikTok ban
The proposed ban on the popular short-video app TikTok is the latest in a series of moves by Washington to address security concerns about China.
As per Reuters, the bill, which sailed through the corridors of the US House of Representatives, sets a tight deadline for ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to shed its American assets or face the ban.
US House passes bill that could ban TikTok
China reiterates problems with the US
This is only the latest skirmish in the ongoing tug-of-war between the two global powerhouses – China and the US.
Beijing has persistently accused Washington of wielding the banner of national security as a Trojan horse to disrupt normal international trade order.
“The US increasing the (serious) handling of this matter lets the world see clearly whether the United States’ so-called rules-based competition is beneficial to the world or is only self-serving,” said Wenbin.
However, on the American side, lawmakers have sounded the alarm over the spectre of TikTok passing on American user data to Chinese authorities. However, the Chinese spokesperson was quick to dismiss such claims and said that the US had no evidence of TikTok violating national security.
TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew has also vehemently denied the allegations and said the firm has never shared, or received a request to share, US user data with the Chinese government, adding, “Nor would TikTok honour such a request if one were ever made.”
