China accused the United States of spreading disinformation and suppressing TikTok following reports that the Biden administration was calling for its Chinese owners to sell their stakes in the popular video-sharing app.
The US has yet to present evidence that TikTok threatens its national security and was using the excuse of data security to abuse its power to suppress foreign companies, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters at a daily briefing.
“The US should stop spreading disinformation about data security, stop suppressing the relevant company, and provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for foreign businesses to invest and operate in the US,” Wang said.
TikTok was dismissive Wednesday of a report in The Wall Street Journal that said the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, part of the Treasury Department, was threatening a US ban on the app unless its owners, Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd, divested.
“If protecting national security is the objective, divestment doesn’t solve the problem: A change in ownership would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access,” TikTok spokeswoman Maureen Shanahan said.