China: US House vote on TikTok ownership goes against fair competition

A US House of Representatives vote that would force TikTok to sever ties with its Chinese parent company or be banned in the United States was contrary to fair competition, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman says.

“The bill passed by the United States House of Representatives puts the United States on the opposite side of the principles of fair competition and international economic and trade rules,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin says.

The US bill, passed yesterday by a vote of 352-65, now goes to the Senate, where its prospects are unclear.

TikTok, which has more than 150 million American users, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chinese technology firm ByteDance Ltd.