China says they have “plenty of ways to respond” if TikTok is forcibly sold to the USA

If World War III ever happens, it will be at the hands of TikTok. OK, I’m exaggerating a bit, but seriously, this is becoming bigger than we all originally thought.

Here’s the latest episode of the TikTok saga: China says they won’t accept the “theft” of TikTok and that it has “plenty of ways to respond” if the US government tries to make the company sell to an American company. This was reported in an editorial of state-run newspaper China Daily, via Reuters. Here’s the full quote:

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.

If you haven’t been keeping up, the U.S. government, specifically Donald Trump, wants to ban the social media platform in the US. Then, he welcomed the idea of a U.S. company buying its operations here in the states. Microsoft stepped up to the plate and put in a bid. It’s unclear at this time if something will come out of this.

In addition, Trump is also saying that if a deal goes through (with Microsoft or another company), the US Treasury should get a cut of the deal. Why? No one knows for sure, but this sounds like a complete shakedown typically reserved for mobsters in a notorious crime family.

Hu Xijin, an editor over at the Global Times, another state-run Chinese newspaper, feels the same way. He keeps it short and sweet and says that President Trump is straight-up committing “open robbery.” He put this out to the whole world in a tweet sent out on Monday:

This is an open robbery. The world is watching and God is watching that how President Trump is turning the once great America into a rogue country. pic.twitter.com/FaL3MkwsYe

— Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) August 4, 2020

TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is keeping everything close to the chest and trying to avoid all the press this massive shit show is attracting. Speaking to the BBC, the company says it’s “committed to being a global company,” and that it is currently “evaluating the possibility of establishing TikTok’s headquarters outside of the US, to better serve our global users.”

Currently, the company is headquartered in China. Because of this, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accuses TikTok of “feeding data directly to the Chinese Communist Party.” This has not been proven to be the case, at least, not yet.

Will Microsoft eventually buy TikTok? Who really knows. But Microsoft has given itself until September 15th to complete the sale or abandon it altogether. A lot can happen in that time frame, so buckle up, we’re in for a ride.

What are your thoughts on all this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Unlike Facebook, TikTok will reveal its algorithms in order to build trust in its policy enforcement
• Here is a list of reasons why you should be wary of TikTok
• Facebook is apparently getting ready to launch Instagram Reels, a TikTok competitor, globally
• Apparently, the US government is considering banning TikTok and other Chinese social apps

Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com or find him on Mastodon or Post.