In a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 2nd (local time), U.S. President Joe Biden expressed his desire to change the ownership of the Chinese video platform, TikTok.
According to news reports, National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson John Kirby stated in a press conference following the two leaders’ call, “President Biden has once again raised concerns regarding the ownership of TikTok.”
Kirby emphasized, “President Biden made it clear to President Xi that the TikTok issue is not about banning the application but about the U.S. national security and the protection of American data.”
On the 13th of last month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill stating that if TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, does not sell its U.S. operations within the next six months, the TikTok app will be banned in the U.S.
Western countries including the United States have expressed concerns that TikTok, popular among the younger generation, could serve as a propaganda tool and a route for the Chinese government to gather overseas information.
Despite his election campaign using the TikTok platform to reach out to young voters, Biden has stated that he will sign the bill if it passes the Senate.
However, it is uncertain whether the TikTok ban bill will pass the Senate. Some in the Senate argue that the Biden administration is abusing its authority over the citizens’ freedoms and corporate ownership.
Meanwhile, Xi urged Biden to withdraw the policy of export control on advanced semiconductors to China, but Biden refused.
The White House issued a statement saying, “(President Biden) emphasized that the United States will continue to take necessary measures to ensure that advanced American technology is not used to undermine national security, while not unjustly restricting trade and investment.”