Yesterday, a few hours after its US ban, TikTok service was restored with the help of Donald Trump. The new president-elect assured the company that its partners won’t be sanctioned for working with them after the January 19 deadline set by last year’s bill. It was also revealed how the service could stay in the country in the long term. Now, China has responded to Trump’s proposed plan to keep TikTok in the country.
TikTok sale should be “decided independently,” China official responds to Trump’s proposal
Today, Mao Ning, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, answered some questions related to the situation of TikTok and China-US trade relations. Starting with TikTok, China’s position regarding a potential sale is that such moves should be “decided independently by companies based on market principles.” Trump’s proposed plan involves the United States buying 50% of TikTok’s US stake through a local company. It was not revealed which companies could bid. However, the Project Liberty initiative recently emerged as a candidate.
Mao also spoke more generally about the situation of Chinese companies in the United States. She said that US officials should “listen carefully to rational voices and provide an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for market entities from all countries to operate in the United States.”
The spokesperson recalled TikTok’s huge popularity in the United States. The social media platform has around 170 million active users in the country. Plus, its offices house around 7,000 employees. Mao claims that the app’s presence has helped boost local consumption and employment as well. “If Chinese companies are involved, they should comply with Chinese laws and regulations,” she added.
What about foreign services banned in China?
Elon Musk recently raised the issue of China’s ban on US services. “The current situation where TikTok is allowed to operate in America, but X is not allowed to operate in China is ‘unbalanced,’ and something needs to change,” he said. Mao replied that foreign businesses are welcome in China as long as they follow the rules and laws of the country.
Many foreign tech services are not available in China because they do not comply with local data regulations. These regulations reportedly imply putting user privacy at risk due to the demands of the Chinese government. That said, Mao affirmed that China has never and will not require companies or individuals to collect user data abroad.
It is currently unknown what ByteDance’s position is regarding Trump’s TikTok sale proposal. For the time being, it might be the only way for the service to keep running in the country.
