China criticizes possible U.S. plan to force TikTok sale
BEIJING –
China’s authorities stated Thursday it could oppose attainable U.S. plans to power TikTok’s Chinese proprietor to promote the short-video service as a safety threat and warned such a transfer would harm investor confidence within the United States.
Governments are nervous TikTok’s proprietor, ByteDance, would possibly give looking historical past or different knowledge about customers to China’s authorities or promote propaganda and disinformation. The Wall Street Journal reported U.S. authorities have been contemplating banning TikTok ban if ByteDance would not promote the corporate.
“If the news is true, China will resolutely oppose it,” stated a Ministry of Commerce spokeswoman, Shu Jueting. She gave no indication what Beijing would possibly do.
A pressured sale “would seriously damage investors from multiple countries including China” and harm “confidence to invest in the United States,” Shu stated.
TikTok is one focus of conflicts between China and different governments over expertise and safety which might be disrupting processor chip, smartphone and different industries.
Shu’s feedback on Thursday got here hours earlier than the CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, is because of make a high-profile look Thursday earlier than a U.S. Congressional committee to make the case for why the massively common video-sharing app should not be banned. American lawmakers have referred to as for a ban on TikTok over nationwide safety issues, alleging that the app may very well be used to spy on U.S. customers. Chew is anticipated to inform the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce that TikTok prioritizes the security of its younger customers and deny allegations that the app is a nationwide safety threat, in line with his ready remarks launched forward of the listening to.
The United States, Britain and New Zealand’s parliament have banned use of TikTok on government-issued telephones. India has banned TikTok and dozens of different Chinese apps, together with the WeChat message service, on safety and privateness grounds.
On Thursday, the Norwegian parliament adopted go well with and banned Tiktok and messaging app Telegram on units with entry to the meeting’s programs with quick impact, the Norwegian news company NTB stated.
Telegram is a messaging app based by Russian-born brothers Pavel and Nikolai Durov. The loosely moderated platform is broadly common in Ukraine, Eastern Europe and utilized by many conservatives within the United States.
“The decision is in line with the recommendation” of the Norwegian National Security Authority,” parliamentary speaker Masud Gharahkhani said, adding the apps should be removed “as shortly as attainable.”
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AP author Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed
