China strongly opposes the US government’s attempt to force TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell its stakes in the popular video-sharing app, the state-run China Daily reported on Thursday.
“China has noticed media reports saying the US is pursuing such a move, and if the news reports turn out to be true, the US decision would be based on TikTok’s foreign ownership, rather than its products and services, which will severely damage confidence of foreign investors, including those from China,” Shu Jueting, spokeswoman of the Ministry of Commerce, was quoted as saying at a news conference in Beijing.
“The stake selling of or split from the Chinese parent company involves technology export and must follow Chinese laws and regulations to proceed for an administrative approval, upon which the Chinese government will make decision in accordance with the law,” Shu said.
The US government has requested that ByteDance sell the immensely popular short-form video app TikTok, or face a national ban, news reports said. TikTok had more than 100 million active monthly users over the age of 18 in the US as of January, making it one of the most popular social media outlets in the country, according to TikTok data.
Source: Kuwait News Agency