Already targeted by EU investigation for controversial feature, TikTok faces Washington's ultimatum: China or the US

Unsplash TikTok

In Europe as in the United States, TikTok is in turmoil. The social network is threatened by a ban on American soil, after Congress adopted a law on Tuesday, April 23, requiring a “cut” of its ties with China and its parent company, ByteDance. 

The day after the vote by American representatives, the text of which was promulgated by President Joe Biden, TikTok announced the “voluntary” suspension of a very controversial feature of its “Lite” application, which allowed users to receive rewards in return for the time spent watching videos. The American maneuver comes shortly before the visit of the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to Beijing, to continue the reconciliation efforts, against the backdrop of a trade war.

This ultimatum from the Americans to the Chinese social network was among the texts already proposed for voting last Saturday, concerning very significant aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. On Tuesday, the law requiring TikTok to cut all ties with its parent company, ByteDance, and China, was also adopted by the Senate. In the process, the White House tenant, Joe Biden, who recently expressed his “concern” again during an exchange with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, expressed his eagerness to enact it. This has now been done, on Wednesday, April 24.

“I love you, I love you not”

Now in force, the text requires the Chinese company ByteDance to sell its flagship application, TikTok, within 12 months. Otherwise, this application for sharing short music videos would be excluded from the Apple and Google stores on American soil.

Such a decision is highly questionable in court and for the social network, it is a “violation of the freedom of expression of 170 million Americans”. As for Beijing, its diplomatic spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, simply recalled, on Wednesday, “China’s position of principle” on this issue.

His counterpart at the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, He Yadong, had already urged Washington in March to “respect the rules of the market economy”, affirming that his country “would take all necessary measures to preserve its legitimate rights and interests”.

Under Donald Trump or Joe Biden, Washington has not let go of TikTok, despite the latest efforts between the United States and China for reconciliation. This has resulted in the numerous trips of the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, to China, followed by those of Xi Jinping to San Francisco, which led to a resumption of contacts between the two armies and cooperation in the fight against the manufacture of fentanyl, which is wreaking havoc among drug addicts in the United States.

These trips were followed by that, in early April, of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who did not hesitate to threaten Beijing with “significant consequences” if its Chinese companies provide aid to Russia and its defense industry, particularly in the Ukrainian conflict.

A question that the Secretary of State will not fail to raise with Chinese leaders, to whom he will plead for restraint in the face of Taiwan, which is preparing to inaugurate its new president. Washington also intends to denounce Beijing's “anti-competitive trade practices.”

The noose tightens on TikTok

The “reconciliation” between the two superpowers translates much more into a trade war, which Joe Biden stirred up in early April by accusing the Chinese aluminum and steel sectors of “cheating” through significant subsidies, promising to raise customs duties on these products.

Can ByteDance rely on this visit by Blinken to China to avoid Washington's ban on TikTok ? Nothing is less certain and the social network, also targeted by the European Commission, is not at the end of its troubles. Wednesday, the application announced that it had “voluntarily” suspended a feature of its “Lite” application, which rewards users for the time spent watching videos or reacting to content. These are virtual tokens, convertible into Amazon gift cards.

TikTok was responding to the European Union’s investigation by suspending Lite. Brussels fears that this reward system could make the social network too addictive. The Chinese application was ordered to respond to the EU’s concerns by Thursday, but ByteDance did not comply with this request for a “risk assessment”, in accordance with its obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

“Our children are not guinea pigs for social networks,” reacted the European Commissioner for Digital Affairs, Thierry Breton, to the announcement of TikTok, already targeted by another investigation. This one criticizes the application for a lack of transparency in terms of protection of minors.

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