Tag: USA

Q&A: TikTok Owner Is Essentially ‘Subsidiary’ of China’s Communist Party, US Lawmaker Says  

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washington —  The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill March 13 that, if enacted into law, would give ByteDance, the Chinese owner of the TikTok social media app, 180 days to divest its U.S. assets or face a ban over concerns about national security, including Beijing’s ability to access Americans’ private information through the company ByteDance denies it would provide such private data to the Chinese government, despite reports indicating such information could be at risk. VOA sat down on the day the bill passed with Republican Representative Mario…

Blinken, Marcos to Discuss Economic Cooperation, South China Sea Dispute 

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Manila —  Meetings between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Philippine officials are planned to center around economic cooperation between the two countries and finding ways to maintain peace in the disputed South China Sea, according to a recent State Department briefing. Blinken is scheduled to arrive in Manila Tuesday for a two-day visit meant to reaffirm Washington’s commitment to the Philippines amid Manila’s increasing confrontation with China in the territorially disputed South China Sea, which China claims almost in its entirety. Washington supports the position of the Philippines,…

Post-pandemic, Young Chinese Seek Studies Abroad, Just Not in US

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WASHINGTON —  In Shanghai, two young women seeking an education abroad have decided against going to the United States, a destination of choice for decades that may be losing its shine. For Helen Dong, a 22-year-old senior studying advertising, it was the cost. “It doesn’t work for me when you have to spend 2 million [yuan] [$278,000] but find no job upon returning,” she said. Dong is headed to Hong Kong this fall instead. Costs were not a concern for Yvonne Wong, 24, now studying comparative literature and cultures in…

Former US Treasury Chief Mnuchin Looking to Buy TikTok

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Former U.S. treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday he is going to put together an investor group to try to buy TikTok, a day after the House of Representatives voted to ban the popular video app in the U.S., if its China-based owner doesn’t agree to sell it. Mnuchin, who served in former president Donald Trump’s Cabinet, told CNBC that TikTok, with more than 170 million U.S. users, “should be owned by U.S. businesses. There’s no way that the Chinese would ever let a U.S. company own something like this…

World’s Largest Drone Maker Expands in US Amid Rights Abuse Allegations  

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washington —  Chinese drone maker DJI is expanding in the U.S. with its first flagship store in New York City amid allegations of links to human rights abuses and ties to China’s military. DJI’s “first concept” North American store on New York’s Fifth Avenue welcomes customers into a futuristic, minimalist space to shop. The company describes itself on its website as “the world’s leader in civil drones and creative camera technology.” “We continue to see growing consumer demand throughout North America as we expand our consumer product portfolio,” said Christina…

China Says US TikTok Vote Follows ‘Logic of a Bandit’

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BEIJING —  China on Thursday said the U.S. House of Representatives’ approval of a bill that would force TikTok to sever ties with its Chinese parent company or be banned in the United States follows “entirely the logic of a bandit.” The short-video app has soared in popularity worldwide but its ownership by Chinese technology giant ByteDance — and alleged subservience to Beijing’s ruling Communist Party — has fueled concern in Western capitals. On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill that would force TikTok to divest…

US House Expected to Pass Bill Forcing Chinese Company to Give Up TikTok

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WASHINGTON —  The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to approve legislation Wednesday that would force the popular TikTok video app to either separate from its Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance or sell the U.S. version of the software. The bipartisan Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act “gives TikTok six months to eliminate foreign adversary control — which would include ByteDance divesting its current ownership — to remain available in the United States,” said Representative Mike Gallagher, chairman of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United…