China Hawks Dine on Seared Branzino and Lament Threat to US
Recently, a group of “China Hawks,” tech executives and political leaders took part in a heated discussion on the threat posed by the Chinese tech giant, TikTok and its potential for disruption. The group convened over a meal of seared branzino to contemplate the security and economic implications of TikTok’s growing presence in the US. Among the attendees of this event, held in Washington, DC, was House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as well as Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Brendan Carr, who has sharpened his anti-China rhetoric lately.
The Chinese company TikTok, owned by the tech giant ByteDance, has become a popular social media platform, with over 100 million users in the US alone. The China Hawks point out that they are wary of the potential for TikTok to be used as a platform for spreading Chinese propaganda, sensitive user data breaches, and censorship of American media within the app. The group is comprised of tech executives and innovators who have a personal interest in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies that could be disrupted by the presence of TikTok in the US market.
Tech financiers were also present at the event and discussed how TikTok might pose threats to economic security as well, seeing as its alliance with China could be used to give Chinese companies an edge over American firms. Many of these people have financial interests in the success of competitors of TikTok and the AI startups that would be affected.
The Financial Post has recently reported on the heated discussion and debate at the cocktail party, and the growing sentiment of urgency among the China Hawks. Their aim is to educate lawmakers of the serious danger to US interests posed by the Chinese tech giant, in order to prevent further disruption to the US economy.
In reference to the company mentioned in the article, ByteDance, it is a Chinese technology company that operates the globally popular video-sharing platform TikTok, as well as other popular apps like Douyin, Vigo Video, and BuzzVideo, among others. Headquartered in Beijing, ByteDance has become one of the world’s largest and most successful tech companies in just a few years, receiving a $75 billion valuation in 2018. Despite its success and global popularity, the company has come under scrutiny over its ties to the Chinese government, as well as the massive amounts of private user data it houses.
In regard to the person mentioned in the article, Kevin McCarthy is the current House of Representatives Speaker and was in attendance at the catered event. A Californian politician, McCarthy has served many roles in office, including House Majority Leader from 2014 to 2019. He is known for his strongly pro-business platform, as well as a starkly critical opinion of China’s tech companies and their activities on the global market. By gathering influential tech leaders in the US with powerful political figures like McCarthy, the event echoed the urgency felt by many American citizens who are wary of the Chinese threat.
