China Responds to TikTok Claims - Global News Beijing has insisted it will not ask any Chinese company to collect data or intelligence abroad
China has rejected accusations by US officials of using TikTok to harvest Americans data, refuting the allegations after the company s CEO was questioned by lawmakers in Washington amid growing calls to ban the popular video-sharing app.
Asked about TikTok chief Xu Ziqiu s controversial appearance before the US Congress this week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the People s Republic of China "takes data privacy and security very seriously." from any company or individual that collected or provided data, information, or intelligence located overseas against local laws,” she said on Friday, adding that Washington “has provided no evidence or evidence that TikTok threatens the national security of the United States, yet it has cracked down and attacked.” the company repeatedly on the basis of presumption of guilt.”
Mao cited Democratic Congressman Mark Pocan, who has opposed efforts by some lawmakers to ban TikTok entirely in the US and accused them of conducting a "xenophobic witch-hunt". She urged the US government to "respect the principles of a market economy and fair competition," and stop "suppressing" foreign companies operating in the country. During a congressional hearing Thursday, Chiu faced sharp criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, with Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers opening the event. By declaring, “Your platform should be banned.” A number of representatives have alleged TikTok s nefarious ties to Beijing, though Chew has pointed out that his company is based in Los Angeles and does not take orders from China s ruling Communist PartyCongresswoman Anna Echo of California, a Democrat, appeared furious after the CEO denied that The Chinese government has access to TikTok s data, saying "I actually find this unbelievable." While Qiu noted that no evidence was ever presented to support the claim, many lawmakers remained skeptical regardless. The US federal government and at least 25 government departments have passed legislation banning TikTok on official devices, according to the latest tally by Yahoo Finance. Although a full ban has not yet been passed, several officials have been asked to take action after FBI Director Christopher Wray claimed the Chinese government could access the data the app collects. Despite the persistent accusations, both TikTok and Beijing have repeatedly denied using the site for surveillance or data collection. Read more:
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