TikTok ban will ‘inevitably come back to bite US’

CHINA warned yesterday that a proposed ban on video-sharing app TikTok would “inevitably come back to bite the United States.”

The US House of Representatives is set to vote on a bill that would force the app to cut ties with its Chinese owner or get banned in the US.

The legislation is the biggest threat yet to the video-sharing app, which has surged to huge popularity across the world while raising fears among governments and security officials over its Chinese ownership.

Ahead of the vote, foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin condemned the proposed ban.

“Although the US has never found evidence that TikTok threatens US national security, it has not stopped suppressing TikTok,” he said.

“This kind of bullying behavior that cannot win in fair competition disrupts companies’ normal business activity, damages the confidence of international investors in the investment environment, and damages the normal international economic and trade order.

“In the end, this will inevitably come back to bite the US itself,” Wang said.

The vote is expected to pass overwhelmingly in a rare moment of bipartisanship in politically divided Washington.

The fate of the bill is uncertain in the Senate, where key figures are against making such a drastic move against an hugely popular app that has 170 million US users.

President Joe Biden will sign the bill, known officially as the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” into law if it comes to his desk, the White House has said.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is in Washington, trying to shore up support to stop the bill. (AFP)