China has warned America that Tick tock The ban could ‘suffer’ Washington in the future as lawmakers approved a bill on Wednesday that could lead to a nationwide ban on the Chinese-owned video-sharing app.
Ahead of Wednesday’s vote in the US House of Representatives, China’s Foreign Ministry condemned the proposed ban as ‘deliberately vexatious’.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin says, “Although the United States has never found evidence that Tik Tok is a threat to American national security, it has not stopped suppressing the sound of Tik Tok.”
He said banning the app ‘disrupts the company’s normal business activities, undermines the confidence of international investors in the investment environment and undermines normal international economic and trade governance.’
According to the AFP news agency, Wenbin said that “in the end, it will necessarily be a loss to the United States itself.”
Lawmakers from both US political parties have long expressed concern about ByteDance’s proprietary app, citing national security concerns.
Multiple American Republican and Democrat lawmakers from the states have expressed concern that the Chinese government could force TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to hand over data on US citizens who use the app.
However, ByteDance, the owner of Tik Tok, has rejected such claims.
A bill now passed in the US House of Representatives with bipartisan support to protect Americans from apps run by foreign competitors could lead to nationwide app bans.
LONDON: Using an employee phone in Tik Tok’s office. (Photo: AFP)
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The bill passed by a vote of 352 to 65, showing a rare display of bipartisan support. 50 Democrats and 15 Republicans voted against.
The bill will now go to the Senate, where it is unclear whether it can pass with the required support.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would consult with relevant committee leaders to see ‘what their views might be’ on the bill.
President Joe Biden has said that if the bill reaches his desk, he will sign it.
If the bill is signed into law, TikTok would be banned from US app stores until ByteDance, the video-sharing platform used by more than 170 million Americans, takes about six months to complete. Does not sell within the period.
Shu Chiu, chief of the social media app, said the company has invested in protecting user data and protecting its platform from outside manipulation.
If the bill becomes law, Mr. Chew warned, it would affect millions of American jobs and “take billions of dollars out of the pockets of creators and small businesses.”
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2024-07-25 17:42:12