On Wednesday, Beijing warned the United States that the proposed ban on the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok "will inevitably backfire on them." The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote later on Wednesday on legislation that would force the app to sever ties with its Chinese owner under threat of a ban in the United States. The legislation represents the biggest threat yet to the wildly popular video-sharing app, raising concerns among governments and security officials about its Chinese ownership and potential ties to the Communist Party in Beijing.
Ahead of the vote, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin condemned the potential ban. He stated, "Although the United States has never found any evidence that TikTok poses a threat to U.S. national security, it has not stopped suppressing TikTok." He added that "this kind of bullying behavior, which cannot win in fair competition, disrupts the normal business activities of companies, harms the confidence of international investors in the investment environment, and damages the normal international economic and trade order." Wang suggested that "in the end, this will inevitably backfire on the United States itself."
The vote is expected to occur at 10:00 AM (14:00 GMT) and is anticipated to pass easily in a rare moment of bipartisan agreement in a politically divided Washington. The fate of the bill in the Senate remains unknown, as key figures oppose such a drastic action against an app that enjoys immense popularity with around 170 million users in the United States. President Joe Biden must sign the bill, officially titled "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Applications," for it to become law if it reaches the White House.
The app strongly denies any ties to the Chinese government and has restructured the company to keep U.S. user data within the country, according to the company. TikTok's CEO, Shou Zi Chew, is in Washington seeking support to halt the resolution.
