Beijing cautioned on Wednesday that a suggested ban on Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok would "inevitably have negative consequences for the United States".
The US House of Representatives will vote later Wednesday on a measure that would require the app to sever connections with its Chinese owner or face a ban in the United States.
The bill poses a significant threat to the video-sharing app, which has gained immense popularity worldwide while sparking concerns among governments and security officials regarding its Chinese ownership and potential allegiance to the Communist Party in Beijing.
Prior to the vote, foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin criticized the proposed ban.
“Despite the United States not having found any evidence that TikTok poses a threat to US national security, it has continued to suppress TikTok,” he stated.
“This type of aggressive behavior, which cannot succeed in fair competition, disrupts the normal business operations of companies, undermines the confidence of international investors in the investment climate, and disrupts the standard international economic and trade order,” he further commented.
“Ultimately, this will unavoidably have negative consequences for the United States itself,” Wang remarked.
The vote is scheduled for 10:00 am (1400 GMT) and is expected to pass by a large margin, in a rare display of unity in the politically divided Washington.
The future of the measure in the Senate is uncertain, as key figures are opposed to taking such a drastic action against a highly popular app with 170 million US users.
President Joe Biden will sign the bill, officially known as the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” into law if it reaches his desk, as stated by the White House.
TikTok vehemently denies any connections to the Chinese government and has restructured the company to ensure that the data of US users remains in the country, according to the company.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is in Washington, seeking to garner support to halt the measure.
“This recent legislation, being hurried through at an unprecedented speed without even the advantage of a public hearing, raises serious Constitutional concerns,” stated Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s vice president for public policy, in a letter to the bill’s co-sponsors as reported by AFP.
AFP
