China accused the United States on Thursday of spreading disinformation and cracking down on TikTok following reports that the Biden administration had asked Chinese owners to sell their shares in the popular video-sharing app.
The US has not provided evidence that TikTok threatens national security and is using data security grounds to abuse its power to suppress foreign companies, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters at his daily briefing.
“The US must stop spreading disinformation about data security, stop suppressing relevant companies, and provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for foreign businesses to invest and operate in the US,” Wang said.
TikTok denied a report Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal that said the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, part of the Treasury Department, threatened a US ban on the app unless its owner, ByteDance Ltd. which is based in Beijing, is divested.
“If protecting national security is the goal, divestment does not solve the problem: A change in ownership will not impose new restrictions on data flow or access,” said TikTok spokeswoman Maureen Shanahan.
Shanahan said TikTok has responded to concerns through “transparent, US-based user data and protection systems with robust third-party monitoring, vetting and verification.”
The Journal report cited “people familiar with the matter.” The Treasury Department and the White House National Security Council declined to comment.
In late February, the White House gave all federal agencies 30 days to remove TikTok from all government devices. Several agencies, including the Department of Defense, Homeland Security and the State Department already have restrictions in place. The White House has not allowed TikTok on the device.
Congress passed the “No TikTok on Government Devices Act” in December as part of a government funding package. The law allows the use of TikTok in certain cases, including for national security, law enforcement and research purposes.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in the House and Senate have moved forward with legislation that would give the Biden administration more power to enforce TikTok.
TikTok remains hugely popular and is used by two-thirds of teenagers in the US But there are growing concerns that Beijing could control the data of American users obtained by the app and push pro-Beijing narratives and propaganda on the app.
China has long been concerned about the influence of social media and communication apps abroad, and has banned most of the most popular ones, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube – and TikTok.