China accuses US of ‘abuse of state power’ as possible ban of TikTok looms
Jerry Dunleavy
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The Chinese government is lashing out against the Biden White House ahead of a potential U.S. ban of TikTok.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning claimed this month that “to perpetuate its hegemony, the U.S. habitually politicizes technology and trade issues and uses them as a tool and weapon in the name of national security” and vowed China would support “relevant companies” such as TikTok “safeguarding their legitimate rights.” Another spokesman for the Chinese ministry, Wang Wenbin, argued on March 15 that the U.S. should not interfere with TikTok’s data-storing practices, should “refrain from overstretching and abusing the concept of national security,” and should provide a “fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory business environment for foreign companies.”
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Wang Wenbin said on March 16 that the U.S. “has yet to prove with evidence that TikTok threatens its national security.” He said on March 17 that China believes “data security should not be used as a tool to overstretch the national security concept and abuse state power to hobble foreign companies” and accused the U.S. of “abuse of state power to hobble and plunder foreign companies.”
The direct approach by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by Chinese state-run outlets helps indicate how important Beijing views TikTok and how key it believes it is to protect the app from being kicked out of the U.S. or forced out of Chinese control.
The heads of the top U.S. intelligence agencies united this month in warning about the national security threat posed by China-owned TikTok, pointing to the Chinese government’s influence over the app’s algorithm and its potential access to the app’s data and software.
FBI Director Christopher Wray led the way in warning about the “national security concerns” posed by TikTok during congressional testimony earlier in March, with the heads of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the CIA, the National Security Agency, and the Defense Intelligence Agency all agreeing with him.
Wray agreed with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) when asked if the Chinese Communist Party could use TikTok to access the data on millions of users through its control of ByteDance, if China could potentially control the software on millions of devices, and if China could use TikTok to drive narratives to attempt to divide Americans or to push anti-Taiwan sentiment.
“I think the most fundamental piece that cuts across every one of those risks and threats that you mentioned, that I think Americans need to understand, is that something that’s very sacred in our country, the difference between the private sector and the public sector — that’s a line that is nonexistent in the way the CCP operates,” Wray testified.
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based company that has links to the Chinese government. Shou Zi Chew, who served as the CFO of ByteDance until November 2021, began serving as CEO for TikTok in April 2021, solidifying the influence of the Chinese parent company over the app.
The app has thrived during the two-plus years of Biden’s presidency after unsuccessful efforts by former President Donald Trump’s administration to crack down on the app. The Trump administration labeled TikTok a national security threat due to concerns that it could be exploited by Beijing to obtain U.S. user data illicitly.
Biden officials emphasize a national security review of the app is underway. The National Security Council said last summer that a separate review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States “is ongoing.”
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ByteDance and TikTok have repeatedly claimed they have not and would not turn over TikTok user data to the Chinese government, but national security experts have raised concerns about China’s 2017 national intelligence law, which requires all Chinese companies to assist Chinese intelligence services when asked.
ByteDance and TikTok spent lots of money on lobbying in 2022 and early this year, and the Chinese company has put together a large lobbying team made up of one-time lawmakers and former congressional staffers from both parties to try to shield the company. TikTok’s lobbying has targeted the Biden White House.