'Robbery, economic plunder, victim of larcenous cronyism and a heist'
- Reference: 1601020332
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/09/25/china_state_media_view_of_tiktok_deal/
- Source link:
“Robbery of TikTok reveals unabashed US hegemony” proclaimed [1]Xinhua today, accompanied by [2]”The TikTok deal, a brazen heist” . Yesterday the line was [3]” TikTok victim of larcenous cronyism .
The stories contain choice phrases such as “banditry of the White House”, “the United States used the pretext of national security to carry out coercive transactions” and “indiscriminate crackdown on TikTok”.
One paragraph even seems designed to remind US president Donald Trump that he co-authored a book titled The Art of the Deal . The paragraph follows:
The art of deals helps only when it can ensure that any deal reached is fair and mutually beneficial. Any deal ByteDance makes has to be approved by Beijing to go ahead, and Beijing is unlikely to condone the White House's strong-arm acquisition. After all, no deal is better than a deal made under duress.
The stories also accuse the US of singling out TikTok for action when other social networks collect similar data from consumers and disregarding the norms of international trade and business in ways that won’t be good for anyone, anywhere.
China is willing to have its state media use such strong language because it will play well at home and also reflects genuine frustration at having an instrument of soft power taken out of its hands. China has explicitly sought to nurture consumer electronics and social media companies with global footprints. With Huawei nobbled and the Trump administration permitting TikTok to operate only without Chinese influence, Beijing’s aspirations are being stymied.
TikTok seeks injunction to halt Trump ban, claims it would break America's own First and Fifth Amendments [4]READ MORE
Which makes China Daily’s news that ByteDance has applied for an export permit important, because China’s regulations on such matters [5]recently added AI and pushing personalised information to the list of technologies that need approval before they can be sold outside the Middle Kingdom.
ByteDance, TikTok’s current owner, has said it will comply with that law. And as TikTok’s success has been widely ascribed to an AI-infused algorithm that keeps feeding users what they want to see, the social network’s buyers could be offered an inferior product.
Sorting out this mess will surely require some artful dealing, in both Beijing and the White House. ®
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[1] http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-09/24/c_139394024.htm
[2] https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202009/25/WS5f6d56e5a31024ad0ba7bcfb.html
[3] https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202009/24/WS5f6c98cca31024ad0ba7bb08.html
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2020/09/24/tiktok_files_injunction/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2020/08/31/china_export_controls_tiktok_sale/
[6] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
National Security
US Courts give a President a lot of leeway for National Security purposes. IMO if Tik Tok really is a National Security Threat, the US should just ban it outright & block it's servers like China does Google & Facebook. If the courts do block Trump on this, that is probably what they will say.
That's rich coming from a country that blocks foreign companies (Google/Facebook/...), requires car makers to give up their know how in joint ventures and used to steal intellectual property left and right. I'm not a fan of the TikTok saga, but China had it coming.
Oh..
Wait you were talking about Chyana right?
I thought [1]Intellectual property theft , [2]sharing of know how in joint ventures and general protectionism used to be the preserve of the US of A (too many to bother with)?
I suppose they'd be best suited to recognise the behaviour...
[1] https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/news/industrial-revolution-spies-europe
[2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_contribution_to_the_Manhattan_Project
Agreed, except that that is an act that should have been executed when China banned Facebook, not years later by a blabbering idiot who can't get his stories straight from one hour to the next.
'Robbery, economic plunder, victim of larcenous cronyism and a heist'
Normal policy of China towards all foreign companies wanting to do business in China. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
The nerve!
Pot, meet kettle....
It's extortion is what it is. Wouldn't be surprised if it gets slapped down in US courts as well.