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The
measure is the latest in a series of moves in Washington to
respond to U.S. national security concerns about China, from
connected vehicles to advanced artificial intelligence chips to
cranes at U.S. ports.
Wednesday's bill, overwhelmingly passed by the U.S. House of
Representatives, would give TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance
about six months to divest the U.S. assets of the short-video
app, or face a ban.
"The U.S. House of Representatives passing this bill lets the
United States stand on the opposite side of the principles of
fair competition and international trade rules," said ministry
spokesperson Wang Wenbin.
"If so-called national security reasons can be used to willfully
suppress other countries' superior companies, there would be no
fairness to speak of."
China has persistently railed that the United States
overstretches the concept of national security, and Wang has
previously said its bullying acts, as he described them, disrupt
normal international trade order, and will eventually backfire.
"The U.S. increasing the (serious) handling of this matter lets
the world see clearly whether the United States' so-called
rules-based competition is beneficial to the world or is only
self-serving," he added.
U.S. legislators have raised fears that TikTok's U.S. user data
could be passed on to China's government.
The fate of TikTok, used by about 170 million Americans, has
become a major issue in Washington, where lawmakers have
complained their offices have been flooded with calls from
TikTok users who oppose the legislation.
Wang said the U.S. did not find evidence of TikTok violating
national security, but abused state power to go after the
company.
TikTok's CEO Shou Zi Chew has said the firm never shared, or
received a request to share, U.S. user data with the Chinese
government, adding, "Nor would TikTok honor such a request if
one were ever made."
(Reporting by Laurie Chen; Writing by Bernard Orr; Editing by
Clarence Fernandez)
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