In its latest volley against China and big tech, the US House of Representatives has passed a bill that may eventually prohibit the social media network TikTok in the United States.
The legislation got strong bipartisan support, with a vote of 352 to 65 in favor. It now passes to the 100-member Senate, where its chances are less certain. President Joe Biden has stated that he will sign the bill into law if it reaches his desk.
If that happens, TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, would have roughly six months to sell its US assets or have its video-sharing app blocked in the US.
Concerns have been raised about ByteDance's ties to the Chinese government, prompting legislation. Government authorities have voiced concern that the information TikTok obtains from its over 170 million American users might represent a national security risk.
Recent national security legislation established in China, which may compel organizations to get involved with information collection, has fueled such fears.
Bytedance has consistently said that the company acts independently of the Chinese government.
Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, stated on Thursday that the action followed "entirely the logic of a bandit."
"The US House of Representatives passing this bill lets the United States stand on the opposite side of the principles of fair competition and international trade rules," he added.
On Wednesday, US Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers stated that the legislation has "given TikTok a clear choice."
"Separate from your parent company, ByteDance, which is beholden to the CCP [the Chinese Communist Party], and remain operational in the United States, or side with the CCP and face the consequences," she said. "The choice is TikTok's," she added.