With strong bipartisan support, the House on Wednesday backed a measure that would have forced the Chinese owner of TikTok to sell the immensely popular video app or face being banned in the US. With this action, Beijing and Washington are intensifying their battle for technology control, which has implications for free expression, national security, and the social media sector.
The measure was pushed through the House by Republican leaders with little discussion, and it passed with a lopsided vote of 352-65, demonstrating the broad support for legislation that would directly target China during an election year.
The move was made in spite of TikTok's attempts to rally its 170 million American users against the legislation, as well as the Biden administration's efforts to convince Congress that China's ownership of the site presents serious threats to American national security.
The end effect was the formation of a bipartisan coalition in favor of the law, which comprised Democrats and Republicans alike. President Biden has said that he would sign the bill, despite the backing of former President Donald J. Trump.
The measure was pushed through the House by Republican leaders with little discussion, and it passed with a lopsided vote of 352-65, demonstrating the broad support for legislation that would directly target China during an election year.
The move was made in spite of TikTok's attempts to rally its 170 million American users against the legislation, as well as the Biden administration's efforts to convince Congress that China's ownership of the site presents serious threats to American national security.
The end effect was the formation of a bipartisan coalition in favor of the law, which comprised Democrats and Republicans alike. President Biden has said that he would sign the bill, despite the backing of former President Donald J. Trump.
