US lawmakers want to force the sale of TikTok, Chinese officials oppose it

China "resolutely opposes" a possible forced sale of TikTok in the United States from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, a move suggested by American lawmakers in response to national security and data privacy issues linked to the company.

Both Democrats and Republicans have voiced concerns over allegations that TikTok user information can be accessed by ByteDance employees and Chinese Communist Party associates.

On Thursday, Shu Jueting, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, stated that officials would not allow a forced divestiture of TikTok from ByteDance, as reported by the Associated Press. She argued that such a sale would seriously damage investors from multiple countries, including China, and undermine confidence in investing in the United States.

"If the news is true, China will resolutely oppose it,” said the Chinese government official without going into any detail on how China planned to resist the effort or retaliate.

Hours before her statement, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, insisting that ByteDance is not an "agent of China or any other country." He maintained that divestment would not address the fundamental concerns about data flows or access since they are not issues of nationality.

Some US officials have called for a nationwide ban on TikTok, while others have urged the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to require a divestiture from ByteDance. TikTok recently pledged to spend $1.5 billion on Project Texas, aimed at protecting user data and ensuring Chinese officials cannot access user information.

However, President Joe Biden and various state officials have banned TikTok from government devices following reports that ByteDance staff in China used the platform to track the locations of specific American users.

Lawmakers remained largely unconvinced on Thursday that a divestiture would resolve their concerns. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) described TikTok as a "grave threat of foreign influence in American life."

The push to ban TikTok has sparked concerns that any laws created to force the company’s dissolution and ban in the United States could be used to clamp down on free speech online, and be used to shut down other apps — including Twitter and Telegram.