4 ms·

This is retaliation for China's unfair practices. It's not about propaganda, what videos are allowed or disallowed, or who might see which videos you watch. It'

by Canada 6y ago

This is retaliation for China's unfair practices. It's not about propaganda, what videos are allowed or disallowed, or who might see which videos you watch. It's about the fact that valuable US tech companies aren't allowed to compete in China. If they were the trade deficit wouldn't nearly as bad. Now the Trump administration is hitting back. This is plainly and simply: Screw you, we're going to take something successful of yours. The tactics are distasteful: Filing outrageous criminal changes against Meng Wanzhou and the campaign to ban Huawei products as well as this frankly gangster-like hostile takeover of Bytedance's business. I don't feel sorry for Huawei. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Bytedance on the other hand is only guilty of making a fun product, but in the game being played here fairness to the pawns isn't a priority.

modo_mario 6y ago
I suspect there's also more lobbying from more isolated (as in not general American) interest involved than people think. I initially thought it would come from the potential buyers like Microsoft but actually articles have mentioned Zuckerberg was throwing his weight behind it before it all took off.
- Canada 6y ago
  Sure, could be. Maybe it was even Zuckerberg's idea, who knows. Regardless, the strategy is to pressure the CCP to allow better China market access by imposing restrictions on access by Chinese companies. And just like the CCP, this administration is picking targets strategically and using arbitrary and ambiguous reasoning: Did the CCP really ban Facebook because of censorship or was it actually a protectionist move? Is the Trump administration threatening TikTok for the reasons it says or is it really about punishing China for its trade policy?
abc-xyz 6y ago
> ByteDance has had a party committee since 2017 and is headed by CCP secretary and company editor-in-chief Zhang Fuping (張輔評), reported Human Rights Watch. Members of the committee hold regular gatherings at which they study speeches by Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping (習近平) and "pledge to follow the party in technological innovation." > In addition, ByteDance on April 25, 2019, signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Public Security's Press and Publicity Bureau (公安部新聞宣傳局) in Beijing. The agreement was billed as "aiming to give full play to the professional technology and platform advantages of Toutiao and Tiktok in big data analysis," strengthen the creation and production of "public security new media works," boost "network influence and online discourse power," and enhance "public security propaganda, guidance, influence, and credibility," among other aspects. https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3982027 https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3982027
- Canada 6y ago
  Those are good points, especially the second one. I still speculate that the motive is more trade than security however.
ryosuke 6y ago
If that's the case, then they should just say so, instead of pretending that this is about national security.
DiogenesKynikos 6y ago
The US trade deficit has basically nothing to do with China's economic policies. It's driven by structural issues inside the United States, as well as the use of the US dollar as the international reserve currency. If the US were to end all trade with China, the trade deficit would just shift to other countries. Americans buy more than they produce, and China has little influence over that. > valuable US tech companies aren't allowed to compete in China. Facebook and Google can't operate in China because of censorship laws. Many US high-tech companies do a massive amount of business in China, including Apple, Qualcomm, Micron, AMD and Texas Instruments, to name just a few.

by Canada 6y ago

modo_mario 6y ago

I suspect there's also more lobbying from more isolated (as in not general American) interest involved than people think. I initially thought it would come from the potential buyers like Microsoft but actually articles have mentioned Zuckerberg was throwing his weight behind it before it all took off.

Canada 6y ago
Sure, could be. Maybe it was even Zuckerberg's idea, who knows. Regardless, the strategy is to pressure the CCP to allow better China market access by imposing restrictions on access by Chinese companies. And just like the CCP, this administration is picking targets strategically and using arbitrary and ambiguous reasoning: Did the CCP really ban Facebook because of censorship or was it actually a protectionist move? Is the Trump administration threatening TikTok for the reasons it says or is it really about punishing China for its trade policy?

abc-xyz 6y ago

> ByteDance has had a party committee since 2017 and is headed by CCP secretary and company editor-in-chief Zhang Fuping (張輔評), reported Human Rights Watch. Members of the committee hold regular gatherings at which they study speeches by Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping (習近平) and "pledge to follow the party in technological innovation." > In addition, ByteDance on April 25, 2019, signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Public Security's Press and Publicity Bureau (公安部新聞宣傳局) in Beijing. The agreement was billed as "aiming to give full play to the professional technology and platform advantages of Toutiao and Tiktok in big data analysis," strengthen the creation and production of "public security new media works," boost "network influence and online discourse power," and enhance "public security propaganda, guidance, influence, and credibility," among other aspects. https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3982027 https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3982027

Canada 6y ago
Those are good points, especially the second one. I still speculate that the motive is more trade than security however.

ryosuke 6y ago

If that's the case, then they should just say so, instead of pretending that this is about national security.

DiogenesKynikos 6y ago

The US trade deficit has basically nothing to do with China's economic policies. It's driven by structural issues inside the United States, as well as the use of the US dollar as the international reserve currency. If the US were to end all trade with China, the trade deficit would just shift to other countries. Americans buy more than they produce, and China has little influence over that. > valuable US tech companies aren't allowed to compete in China. Facebook and Google can't operate in China because of censorship laws. Many US high-tech companies do a massive amount of business in China, including Apple, Qualcomm, Micron, AMD and Texas Instruments, to name just a few.