China says "US-China TikTok shares split equally" claim by Trump must comply with Chinese laws

Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, proposed the idea of forming a joint venture between ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of the video platform 'TikTok,' and an American company. In response, the Chinese government stated that ByteDance's willingness and compliance with Chinese regulations are necessary.

On the 20th, Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing regarding Trump’s remarks, "Regarding corporate operations and acquisitions, we have always believed that market principles and the autonomous decisions of companies should be respected," adding, "If it involves Chinese companies, it must comply with Chinese laws and regulations."

Earlier, the U.S. Congress enacted the so-called 'TikTok Ban Act' in April last year, citing concerns that ByteDance was collecting large amounts of personal data from Americans and posing a national security threat. The bill stipulated that if ByteDance did not sell its U.S. business rights to an American company, new downloads of TikTok would be banned starting from the 19th.

According to the law, TikTok’s service in the U.S. was suspended on the 18th, but the next day, President-elect Trump expressed support for TikTok by stating he would issue an executive order upon inauguration on the 20th to extend the deadline for the sale of business rights specified in the TikTok Ban Act. Trump also proposed creating a joint venture involving ByteDance and an American company, with the U.S. side owning half of the shares in that joint venture.

During his first term, Trump attempted to ban TikTok, but during the 2020 presidential election campaign, he actively used TikTok for electioneering. Subsequently, he reversed his stance against TikTok’s expulsion.

Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized, "TikTok has operated in the U.S. for several years while complying with U.S. regulations and has never harmed U.S. national security," adding, "It has been deeply loved by American users and has played a positive role in promoting employment and consumption in the U.S." He further stated, "We hope the U.S. will seriously listen to rational voices and provide an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment for market participants from all countries."

Furthermore, regarding Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and owner of X (formerly Twitter), who mentioned that "it is unreasonable for China to block the operation of X while allowing TikTok to operate in the U.S., so a kind of 'exchange' is necessary," Mao Ning responded, "The Chinese government manages the internet according to the law. If companies comply with Chinese regulations and provide safe and reliable products and services, we welcome internet companies from all countries to develop in China."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.