TikTok CEO Shou Chew and executives of other technology
firms such as Meta, X and Snap testified Wednesday before U.S. lawmakers on
online harm to children from social media.
During the hearing, Chew was repeatedly questioned about his
nationality and possible affiliations to the Chinese Communist Party by Sen.
Tom Cotton, R-Ark.
TikTok, which is operated by the Chinese firm ByteDance, has
over 150 million users in America. U.S. lawmakers have regarded TikTok with
considerable suspicion over whether its data can be accessed by the Chinese
government and whether the app can be used to expand China’s influence. Chinese
companies are required to set up Communist Party cells.
“You said today, as you often say, that you live in
Singapore. Of what nation are you a citizen?” Cotton asked.
Chew affirmed that he is Singaporean — which does not allow
its citizens to hold dual citizenship — but Cotton pressed on, asking if Chew
was a citizen of any other nation, and if he had ever applied for Chinese
citizenship. China also does not permit dual nationality, and rarely accepts
applications for citizenship.
When Chew responded no to both questions, Cotton asked if he
had ever been a member of the Chinese Communist Party or have had any
affiliation to it.
“No Senator, again, I’m Singaporean,” Chew responded,
visibly perplexed. The party requires members to be Chinese citizens.
Cotton’s line of questioning was described as
“McCarthy-esque” by The Washington Post. Clips of the exchange posted on social
media platforms drew tens of thousands of views.
An Instagram reel of the exchange uploaded by Singapore
flagship newspaper The Straits Times drew nearly 2,000 comments, most
criticizing or mocking Cotton for his line of questioning.
“Senator, do you know where Singapore is?” one person asked.
Another remarked that “just because he looks Chinese, doesn’t mean he’s
Chinese.”
About 75% of Singapore’s approximately 5.9 million
population is ethnically Chinese, a result of Chinese immigrants moving to
Singapore in the 1800s and early 1900s. Many young Singaporeans today do not
identify with China as a cultural motherland.
Wednesday’s hearing was Chew’s second time appearing before
U.S. lawmakers. He first testified in front of lawmakers in March 2023. That
grilling lasted six hours, with lawmakers asking questions about TikTok’s data
security and harmful content on the platform.
Jojo Choo, an assistant marketing manager in her 30s, said
she was happy to see a Singaporean appearing in Congress at first.
“Initially I felt pride because the CEO of such a huge
company is actually someone from Singapore,” she said. “But I quickly realized
how ignorant the senator’s questions were.”
Choo said the Cotton’s questions were tinged with racism and
it was “narrow-minded” to assume that someone who’s ethnically Chinese would be
affiliated with China.
Another Singaporean, Fian Fazlie, said he was “completely
baffled yet amused” at the senator’s questioning.
“He’s just being ignorant and he’s still justifying (his
words) in his latest Instagram post,” Fazlie, who works in the public transport
sector, said about Cotton.
Cotton posted a clip of himself giving an interview on Fox
News to Instagram, stating in the caption that Chew had “a lot of explaining to
do.”
“Of course, you can be affiliated with or associated with
the Chinese Communist Party anywhere in the world,” Cotton said on Fox News,
adding that the Biden administration has many cases against U.S. citizens
suspected of collaborating or working with the Chinese Communist Party.
“Singapore unfortunately is one of the places in the world
that has the highest degree of infiltration and influence by the Chinese
Communist Party,” said Cotton.
It’s unclear what Cotton’s claims about Singapore were based
on.
The 41-year-old Chew is a native of Singapore, where he lives with his wife Vivian Kao and their three children. Prior to joining TikTok, Chew worked for five years at Xiaomi, a Chinese smartphone company. Before that, he was a partner at the venture capital firm DST Global and earlier worked at Goldman Sachs.
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