Beijing’s stance on a possible TikTok ban in the US, according to the US ambassador to China, is “supremely ironic” in light of the Communist Party’s internal internet platform restriction.
A bill that would require the immensely popular short-video app to sever ties with its Chinese parent business or risk being banned nationally was overwhelmingly approved by the US House of Representatives on Wednesday.
China has vehemently criticized the approval, denouncing the “bandit” mentality of Washington and charging Congress with “unjustly suppressing foreign companies.”
On Friday, US envoy Nicholas Burns chastised Beijing, stating that its actions were unreasonable considering that it prohibits numerous Western websites from doing business there.
“It is extremely ironic that Chinese government officials have been criticizing the United States for the ongoing debate on TikTok,” Burns stated in an online seminar hosted by the US-based research organization East-West Centre.
When asked about the opportunities for US public diplomacy in China, he responded, “They won’t even let TikTok be available to 1.4 billion Chinese.”
China’s government actively monitors the internet’s dissemination of information and removes anything from social media that it considers to be politically sensitive. Operation of numerous Western platforms, such as Google, Facebook, and Instagram, is prohibited in the nation.
In China, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, also operates a different app version known as Douyin.
“The true irony”
China retaliated on Burns’s remarks on Friday, calling the US position on the app “the real irony.”
The US “is making every effort to use national power to suppress TikTok,” foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in response to a question regarding the ambassador’s seminar.
“A nation that takes pride in its free speech and declares itself to have a free market economy is prepared to use the state’s power to crack down on particular companies,” Wang stated.
“The true irony is that.”
Concerned by TikTok’s explosive growth, some Western countries have claimed that the app is owned by Beijing and is therefore Beijing’s property. TikTok disputes these accusations.
The bill is anticipated to encounter a more formidable opposition in the US Senate, having been criticized by TikTok developers and users alike. If the bill makes it to President Joe Biden’s desk, the White House has stated that he will sign it into law.
SOURCE: DAWN NEWS
