KUALA LUMPUR – China has branded the United States vote on a bill that forces TikTok to sever ties with Chinese parent company ByteDance as “following the logic of a bandit”, and that Beijing is ready to “take all necessary measures” to protect the interests of its companies overseas.
China’s Commerce Ministry spokesperson, He Yadong, also slammed Washington for not respecting the principles of fair competition.
“The US should truly respect the principles of a market economy and fair competition. Stop unjustly suppressing foreign companies.
“It should also provide an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory environment for foreign companies to invest and operate in the US.
“China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” he said in a press conference in Beijing today.
Separately, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, said the vote by the US House of Representatives “runs contrary to the principles of fair competition and international economic and trade rules”.
“When someone sees a good thing another person has and tries to take it for themselves, this is entirely the logic of a bandit.
“If so-called reasons of national security can be used to arbitrarily suppress excellent companies from other countries, then there is no fairness and justice at all.”
Before the vote on the bill, Wang also warned the US that the decision would “inevitably come back to bite” them.
The legislation, known as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, passed with a 352-65 vote.
TikTok has always denied that it is under the control of China’s Communist Party.
Its chief executive officer, Chew Shou Zi, said in a video message that the potential ban will take away billions of dollars from content creators and small businesses, as well as putting more than 300,000 American jobs at risk.
He also urged users to “protect your constitutional rights” and “make your voices heard”.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where its fate remains uncertain.
Past attempts to ban TikTok faced obstacles related to free speech, legal challenges, and disagreements on platform regulation.
The legislation is not a straightforward ban but rather the creation of a process allowing the president, through intelligence agencies, to designate social media applications controlled by foreign adversaries as national security threats.
Once designated, the app would be banned from online platforms unless it severed ties with foreign-controlled entities within 180 days. – March 14, 2024