According to certain members of the U.S. government, both the United States and China may share a similarity if their efforts are successful: the absence of TikTok in either nation.

On Wednesday, the House passed a bill that mandates the sale of TikTok by its parent company, ByteDance, or else face a ban across the country. It is uncertain if the bill will be enacted, but it shows the concerns of lawmakers about the potential threat of Beijing’s negative impact and the security risks to American data posed by the popular social media app.

However, while American politicians link TikTok to China, the company, which is based outsid

Ever since its creation, the purpose of the TikTok platform has been focused on markets outside of China and is not accessible within mainland China. When a national security law was enforced by Beijing in Hong Kong in 2020, TikTok withdrew from the region due to restrictions on speech. As worries about data security grew in the United States, TikTok attempted to assure lawmakers that any information collected from American users remains in the country and cannot be accessed by employees of ByteDance in Beijing.

The parent company of TikTok is employing a similar strategy to many other Chinese businesses that have aspirations for global reach: in order to gain the trust and patronage of customers in the United States and other Western nations, they are downplaying their Chinese origins and affiliations. This has resulted in some companies insisting on being referred to as “global companies” rather than “Chinese companies.”

However, this may not suffice for TikTok. The House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed the bill with a vote of 352-65. Its fate in the Senate is unclear, but if it is approved by both chambers, President Joe Biden has stated that he will approve it as law. These actions in the capital put the app’s existence at risk and bring attention to the dilemma faced by numerous Chinese companies as they strive to enter Western markets amidst worsening relations between the US and China.

According to Zhiqun Zhu, a professor at Bucknell University, Chinese tech companies and private businesses are facing unprecedented challenges due to the ongoing tensions and competition between the United States and China.

According to Zhu, these companies and businesses are under pressure from multiple angles as they attempt to stay afloat. While the U.S. and other Western nations have placed sanctions or limitations on these companies, China has also begun to prioritize state-owned enterprises in recent times, making it difficult for Chinese tech and private businesses to function.

Alex Capri, senior lecturer at the National University of Singapore and research fellow at Hinrich Foundation, agreed that companies like TikTok with Chinese roots are “really stuck in two polar extremes” between the heavy-handed communist party and the deeply suspicious West.

According to Capri, Chinese technology companies face a constant sense of doubt due to a complete lack of trust.

China’s technology companies are now seen as a crucial national resource due to the growing trend of techno-nationalism. As a result, these companies are legally bound by the regulations set by Beijing to hand over data and have essentially become a representation of the ruling communist party in China, according to Capri.

He mentioned that this presents a significant challenge for companies like TikTok.

In 2018, Zhang Yiming, the creator of ByteDance, followed the directives of the government after Beijing closed down their joke app. He publicly expressed regret for his company’s actions that went against socialist principles and vowed to “fully correct the algorithm” on their news app and implement stricter censorship measures – a required step for any company to thrive in China.

Rep. Mike Gallagher, chairman of the House Select Committee on China’s communist party, has frequently stated that there are no private companies in China. This is supported by the facts.

The House-approved bill aims to eliminate the presence of applications on app stores or web hosting services in the U.S. if those applications maintain connections with companies, such as ByteDance, that are under the authority of foreign enemies, such as China.

“This is my message to TikTok: Break up with the Chinese Communist Party or lose access to your American users,” said Gallagher, the bill’s sponsor. “America’s foremost adversary has no business controlling a dominant media platform in the United States. TikTok’s time in the United States is over unless it ends its relationship with CCP-controlled ByteDance.”

Lawmakers’ lack of trust in TikTok was apparent during a hearing on January 31st, where Senator Tom Cotton repeatedly questioned CEO Shou Zi Chew about his citizenship and potential ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Chew, who is from Singapore, consistently denied any affiliation.

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During a congressional hearing in the previous year, Chew stated to Congress that his company does not engage in the removal or promotion of content on behalf of the Chinese government.

During a recent interview with Wired magazine, Chew stated that TikTok’s Chinese roots have resulted in a higher lack of trust compared to other companies.

Although our trust may not initially be at the same level as other businesses, we have made significant efforts to gain trust and bridge that gap. According to Chew, TikTok has implemented measures to safeguard U.S. user data, maintain transparency, and remain independent from government influence.

Without completely leaving their home country, Chinese businesses aiming for global success have attempted to separate themselves from China by attracting foreign investors, employing foreign executives, relocating their headquarters outside of China, and restricting their operations to international markets, according to Thomas Zhang, a Chinese expert at FrontierView, a market intelligence company based in the United States. However, Zhang noted that these efforts have limited impact as long as the founder in China maintains control.

Capri stated that TikTok faces a serious issue with trust, to the extent that completely separating itself from its Chinese parent company may not resolve the problem. This is due to complex ownership arrangements which may conceal the involvement of Chinese entities.

As TikTok struggles to stay afloat, it has taken a familiar tactic used in American politics: actively lobbying and urging its 170 million American users to reach out to their representatives in opposition to a potential ban, citing potential violations of their freedom of speech.

One influential opponent, former President Donald Trump, changed his stance and spoke out against the proposed TikTok legislation, but his influence was not enough to stop it from passing through the House despite his strong pull with fellow Republican lawmakers.

Capri stated that if the bill is passed as a law, TikTok may take legal action by filing a lawsuit to contest the ban.

Source: wral.com