The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has cautioned the United States regarding the potential ban of its social media platform TikTok. On Wednesday, the CCP stated that a TikTok ban could have negative consequences for the United States. This warning was conveyed by Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Wednesday.
Wang issued the caution in response to the House passing a bipartisan bill that would require the parent company of TikTok, Chinese-owned ByteDance, to sell the platform. If ByteDance, which has ties to the CCP, refuses to comply, TikTok may be banned from U.S. app stores and web hosting services. The bill received significant bipartisan support, passing with a vote of 352-65.
“Although the United States has never found evidence that TikTok threatens US national security, it has not stopped suppressing TikTok,” Wang said, according to AFP.
“This kind of bullying behavior that cannot win in fair competition disrupts companies’ normal business activity, damages the confidence of international investors in the investment environment, and damages the normal international economic and trade order,” he continued.
He was mentioning The Act for Protecting Americans From Controlled Applications by Foreign Adversaries.
“In the end, this will inevitably come back to bite the United States itself,” Wang added.
The divisive bill has caused a rift among Republicans, but it’s worth noting that 15 GOP representatives broke ranks and voted against it on Wednesday, joining forces with 50 Democrats.
As previously mentioned, President Donald Trump has undergone a significant shift in his stance regarding the TikTok ban. He now contends that such a ban would inadvertently strengthen Facebook’s position.
TikTok has emerged as the primary competitor to Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. In fact, Meta has gone to great lengths to revamp Instagram in an attempt to emulate TikTok, albeit unsuccessfully, as they struggle to counter the immense popularity of their Chinese rival.
Trump however was quick to remind the American People that Facebook is “an enemy of the people.”
“Frankly, there are a lot of people on TikTok that love it,” Trump said on CNBC.
“There are a lot of young kids on TikTok who will go crazy without it.
“There are a lot of users.”
“There’s a lot of good and a lot of bad with TikTok.
“But the thing I don’t like is, without TikTok, you can make Facebook bigger.
“And I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people, along with the media,” he added.
In his initial tenure, Trump spearheaded initiatives to prohibit TikTok in the United States. Nevertheless, his proposals were thwarted by congressional Democrats. Subsequently, Meta and Zuckerberg have risen as a notable menace to public liberty. The suppression of conservatives by Meta alongside Zuckerberg’s endeavors to support Democrats have raised significant apprehensions. Trump’s change of stance occurred following revelations that Zuckerberg and Facebook had a substantial influence on the results of the 2020 election.
