BEIJING WARNS AGAINST ‘THEFT’ OF TIKTOK IN US

BEIJING:The Chinese government won’t accept an acquisition of TikTok’s US operations by Microsoft Corp and may take action against Washington if a sale is forced, Beijing-backed China Daily newspaper said in an editorial. It’s China’s strongest defence so far of ByteDance and its viral video phenom, which US President Donald Trump threatened to ban unless a deal is struck by September 15 to sell TikTok’s US business to Microsoft or another US entity.

That process is tantamount to officially sanctioned theft, the Communist Party mouthpiece wrote on Tuesday, echoing prominent Beijing-backed media outlets such as Global Times. “China will by no means accept the ‘theft’ of a Chinese technology company, and it has plenty of ways to respond if the administration carries out its planned smash and grab,” it said, without specifying options. “With competitiveness now dependent on the ability to collect and use data, it offers an either-or choice of submission or mortal combat in the tech realm.”

ByteDance became the world’s largest startup thanks to the success TikTok, which US lawmakers accuse of posing a national security threat.