US ambassador says Beijing’s stance on TikTok ban ‘supremely ironic’

US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns during a Bloomberg Television interview in Beijing on March 14. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

BEIJING - The United States Ambassador to China said on March 15 that Beijing’s position on a potential TikTok ban in the US was “supremely ironic”, given the ruling Communist Party of China’s censorship of online platforms within its borders.

The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a Bill on March 13 that would force the wildly popular short-video app to break with its Chinese parent company or face a nationwide ban.

China has sharply criticised the approval, slamming what it called Washington’s “bandit” mentality and accusing lawmakers of “unjustly suppressing foreign companies”.

US Ambassador Nicholas Burns offered a rebuke on March 15, saying Beijing’s stance was unjustified, given that it blocks many Western Web platforms from operating in the country.

“I find it supremely ironic that government officials here in China... have been criticising the United States for the debate we’re currently having on TikTok,” Mr Burns said during an online seminar held by the East-West Centre, a US-based research organisation.

“They won’t even let TikTok be available to 1.4 billion Chinese,” he said in response to a question about the avenues for American public diplomacy in China.

China’s government tightly controls the spread of information online and scrubs out social media content it deems politically sensitive. Many Western platforms, including Google, Facebook and Instagram, are blocked from operating in the country.

TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance also runs a separate version of the app inside China called Douyin.

Some Western governments have voiced concern about TikTok’s soaring popularity, alleging that the app’s ownership makes it subservient to Beijing – a claim TikTok denies.

The Bill, which has also been criticised by TikTok creators and users, is expected to face a tougher challenge in the US Senate.

The White House has indicated that President Joe Biden would sign the Bill into law if it reaches his desk. AFP

@straitstimes

Replying to @The Straits Times The time is ticking for ByteDance… or will @TikTok find a way to successfully file a legal challenge to prevent the Bill from becoming a law? #tiktok #tiktokban #shou #chewshouzi #ussenate #ustiktokban #shouchew

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