Sen. Tom Cotton Repeatedly Asks Singaporean CEO If He's A Chinese Communist
Lydia O'Connor
Wed, January 31, 2024
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) repeatedly implied at a Senate hearing Wednesday that TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has ties to the Chinese Communist party, forcing Chew to remind Cotton over and over again that he’s not Chinese.
“You said today, as you often say, that you live in Singapore. Of what nation are you a citizen?” Cotton asked Chew at the committee hearing on children’s online safety. When Chew replied that he’s a Singaporean citizen, Cotton continued to press him on his nationality.
“Are you a citizen of any other nation?” Cotton asked. “Have you ever applied for Chinese citizenship?” Chew once again replied no to both questions.
“Have you ever been a member of the Chinese Communist Party?” Cotton asked.
A visibly frustrated Chew responded firmly: “Senator, I’m Singaporean. No.”
But Cotton wouldn’t let up. “Have you ever been associated or affiliated with Chinese Communist Party?” he asked.
Chew replied: “No, senator. Again, I’m Singaporean.”
Neither China nor Singapore allow dual citizenship.
Cotton then repeatedly grilled Chew on Chinese geopolitics, including China’s treatment of the Uyghur ethnic group and whether he thought Chinese President Xi Jinping was a dictator. Chew said he was there to talk about TikTok.
Cotton has repeatedly been accused of anti-Asian racism in recent years. In 2020, he suggested that Chinese students be should be banned from studying in the United States out of concern they might be spies ― a sentiment that critics said was rooted in racial profiling and xenophobia.
Throughout 2020, he also repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as the “China virus,” all while the U.S. saw a stunning rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. The following year, he made a head-scratching remark saying that a statement from the White House advocating ending systemic racism in the U.S. was “approved by the Communist Party of China.”
Singapore Maps & Facts - World Atlas
Lydia O'Connor
Wed, January 31, 2024
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) repeatedly implied at a Senate hearing Wednesday that TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has ties to the Chinese Communist party, forcing Chew to remind Cotton over and over again that he’s not Chinese.
“You said today, as you often say, that you live in Singapore. Of what nation are you a citizen?” Cotton asked Chew at the committee hearing on children’s online safety. When Chew replied that he’s a Singaporean citizen, Cotton continued to press him on his nationality.
“Are you a citizen of any other nation?” Cotton asked. “Have you ever applied for Chinese citizenship?” Chew once again replied no to both questions.
“Have you ever been a member of the Chinese Communist Party?” Cotton asked.
A visibly frustrated Chew responded firmly: “Senator, I’m Singaporean. No.”
But Cotton wouldn’t let up. “Have you ever been associated or affiliated with Chinese Communist Party?” he asked.
Chew replied: “No, senator. Again, I’m Singaporean.”
Neither China nor Singapore allow dual citizenship.
Cotton then repeatedly grilled Chew on Chinese geopolitics, including China’s treatment of the Uyghur ethnic group and whether he thought Chinese President Xi Jinping was a dictator. Chew said he was there to talk about TikTok.
Cotton has repeatedly been accused of anti-Asian racism in recent years. In 2020, he suggested that Chinese students be should be banned from studying in the United States out of concern they might be spies ― a sentiment that critics said was rooted in racial profiling and xenophobia.
Throughout 2020, he also repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as the “China virus,” all while the U.S. saw a stunning rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. The following year, he made a head-scratching remark saying that a statement from the White House advocating ending systemic racism in the U.S. was “approved by the Communist Party of China.”
Singapore Maps & Facts - World Atlas
Shou Zi Chew, CEO of ByteDance-owned TikTok, had to confront claims about ties to China in the U.S. Senate: ‘Senator, I’m Singaporean’
Lionel Lim
Thu, February 1, 2024
Alex Wong—Getty Images
TikTok was one of several social media companies present at Wednesday's U.S. Senate hearing on online safety for children. But CEO Shou Zi Chew had to face a barrage of questions on a different topic: his nationality.
U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) decided to probe TikTok's Singaporean CEO, Shou Zi Chew, on his nationality. Cotton asked the TikTok CEO if he had any citizenships besides Singapore, what passports he held, the nationality of his wife and children, and plans for future citizenship.
After Cotton asked Chew whether he was a member of the Chinese Communist Party, the TikTok CEO responded with an exasperated "Senator, I'm Singaporean. No."
Chew referred several times to his national service—the mandatory two years usually spent serving in the Southeast Asian country's military—in his responses to Cotton. Singapore does not allow for dual citizenship.
In his prepared remarks, Chew said TikTok will invest over $2 billion in trust and safety efforts this year. He noted that TikTok prevents users from directly messaging anyone under 16, and bars content from underage users from being downloaded or recommended to strangers. Chew also revealed that the average age of a TikTok user in the U.S. is over 30.
China connections
Chew has faced questions about his, and TikTok's, alleged ties to China before. In a Congressional hearing last year, lawmakers grilled Chew about the potential threat TikTok posed to U.S. national security. In that instance, Chew claimed that ByteDance was not an agent of China nor any other country.
TikTok, which is owned by Chinese social media giant ByteDance, has found itself entangled in the wider geopolitical battle between Beijing and Washington. The social media app is dogged by fears that user data might end up in the hands of Chinese authorities, or that TikTok's recommendations could be influenced by Beijing.
TikTok has tried to distance itself from its Chinese parent company, setting up offices in Los Angeles and Singapore. The social media company also has "Project Texas", a $1.5 billion project that will house U.S. user data and protect it from unauthorized foreign access. Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that TikTok employees still transfer U.S. data to TikTok's Chinese parent; Chew disputed the article's accuracy on Wednesday.
Later on Wednesday, Cotton defended his line of questioning on Fox News. “Singapore, unfortunately, is one of the places in the world that has the highest degree of infiltration and influence by the Chinese Communist Party," he claimed.
Singapore has an ethnic Chinese majority, but the country's government tries to emphasize a multi-racial identity. Singaporean leaders have long maintained their wish to preserve ties with both the U.S. and China, with deputy prime minister Lawrence Wong saying last May that the country wants to "stay friends with both sides."
The Southeast Asian country has attracted interest from Chinese businesses hoping to avoid tensions between Washington and Beijing, as well as wealthy Chinese individuals hoping to park their fortunes outside of China.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
Cotton defends pressing TikTok CEO on ties to Chinese Communist Party
Tara Suter
THE HILL
Wed, January 31, 2024
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) defended pressing TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew about potential ties to the Chinese Communist Party at a Senate hearing Wednesday.
“Singapore, unfortunately, is one of the places in the world that has the highest degree of infiltration and influence by the Chinese Communist Party,” Cotton said on Fox News’s “The Story With Martha MacCallum” Wednesday. “So, Mr. Chew has a lot to answer for, for what his app is doing in America and why it’s doing it.”
Chew, alongside other social media heads Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, X CEO Linda Yaccarino, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel and Discord CEO Jason Citron, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee during a hearing titled “Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis” Wednesday.
At one point during the hearing, Cotton asked Chew if he has “ever been a member of the Chinese Communist Party.”
“Senator, I’m Singaporean, no,” Chew said.
“Have you ever been associated with or affiliated with the Chinese Community Party?” Cotton asked.
“No, senator, again, I’m Singaporean,” Chew said.
TikTok has faced scrutiny from both sides of the aisle for its China-based parent company ByteDance and its links to the Chinese government. In an attempt to calm fears from lawmakers about these links, the platform developed Project Texas to wall off U.S. user data from the parent company. Yet, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that people who work on Project Texas have occasionally faced requests to share data with different portions of the company or ByteDance.
Chew also faced pressure from other lawmakers like Republican Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz during the hearing over the company’s connections with China. Cornyn pushed Chew on the report, but the CEO challenged it and said “there are many things about the article that are inaccurate.”
Lionel Lim
Thu, February 1, 2024
Alex Wong—Getty Images
TikTok was one of several social media companies present at Wednesday's U.S. Senate hearing on online safety for children. But CEO Shou Zi Chew had to face a barrage of questions on a different topic: his nationality.
U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) decided to probe TikTok's Singaporean CEO, Shou Zi Chew, on his nationality. Cotton asked the TikTok CEO if he had any citizenships besides Singapore, what passports he held, the nationality of his wife and children, and plans for future citizenship.
After Cotton asked Chew whether he was a member of the Chinese Communist Party, the TikTok CEO responded with an exasperated "Senator, I'm Singaporean. No."
Chew referred several times to his national service—the mandatory two years usually spent serving in the Southeast Asian country's military—in his responses to Cotton. Singapore does not allow for dual citizenship.
In his prepared remarks, Chew said TikTok will invest over $2 billion in trust and safety efforts this year. He noted that TikTok prevents users from directly messaging anyone under 16, and bars content from underage users from being downloaded or recommended to strangers. Chew also revealed that the average age of a TikTok user in the U.S. is over 30.
China connections
Chew has faced questions about his, and TikTok's, alleged ties to China before. In a Congressional hearing last year, lawmakers grilled Chew about the potential threat TikTok posed to U.S. national security. In that instance, Chew claimed that ByteDance was not an agent of China nor any other country.
TikTok, which is owned by Chinese social media giant ByteDance, has found itself entangled in the wider geopolitical battle between Beijing and Washington. The social media app is dogged by fears that user data might end up in the hands of Chinese authorities, or that TikTok's recommendations could be influenced by Beijing.
TikTok has tried to distance itself from its Chinese parent company, setting up offices in Los Angeles and Singapore. The social media company also has "Project Texas", a $1.5 billion project that will house U.S. user data and protect it from unauthorized foreign access. Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that TikTok employees still transfer U.S. data to TikTok's Chinese parent; Chew disputed the article's accuracy on Wednesday.
Later on Wednesday, Cotton defended his line of questioning on Fox News. “Singapore, unfortunately, is one of the places in the world that has the highest degree of infiltration and influence by the Chinese Communist Party," he claimed.
Singapore has an ethnic Chinese majority, but the country's government tries to emphasize a multi-racial identity. Singaporean leaders have long maintained their wish to preserve ties with both the U.S. and China, with deputy prime minister Lawrence Wong saying last May that the country wants to "stay friends with both sides."
The Southeast Asian country has attracted interest from Chinese businesses hoping to avoid tensions between Washington and Beijing, as well as wealthy Chinese individuals hoping to park their fortunes outside of China.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
Cotton defends pressing TikTok CEO on ties to Chinese Communist Party
Tara Suter
THE HILL
Wed, January 31, 2024
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) defended pressing TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew about potential ties to the Chinese Communist Party at a Senate hearing Wednesday.
“Singapore, unfortunately, is one of the places in the world that has the highest degree of infiltration and influence by the Chinese Communist Party,” Cotton said on Fox News’s “The Story With Martha MacCallum” Wednesday. “So, Mr. Chew has a lot to answer for, for what his app is doing in America and why it’s doing it.”
Chew, alongside other social media heads Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, X CEO Linda Yaccarino, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel and Discord CEO Jason Citron, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee during a hearing titled “Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis” Wednesday.
At one point during the hearing, Cotton asked Chew if he has “ever been a member of the Chinese Communist Party.”
“Senator, I’m Singaporean, no,” Chew said.
“Have you ever been associated with or affiliated with the Chinese Community Party?” Cotton asked.
“No, senator, again, I’m Singaporean,” Chew said.
TikTok has faced scrutiny from both sides of the aisle for its China-based parent company ByteDance and its links to the Chinese government. In an attempt to calm fears from lawmakers about these links, the platform developed Project Texas to wall off U.S. user data from the parent company. Yet, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that people who work on Project Texas have occasionally faced requests to share data with different portions of the company or ByteDance.
Chew also faced pressure from other lawmakers like Republican Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz during the hearing over the company’s connections with China. Cornyn pushed Chew on the report, but the CEO challenged it and said “there are many things about the article that are inaccurate.”
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